Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Why is the Prime Minister standing by and doing absolutely nothing to stop nearly 700,000 Australians from having their pay cut by up to $77 a week?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There was a time when the honourable member's leader—and I suspect the honourable member himself—supported the independent umpire, the Fair Work Commission. The Leader of the Opposition has been so eloquent that it would take days to go through his defence of the Fair Work Commission. To Leon Byner, 17 May last year, he said:

The best defence workers have is a strong independent umpire.

That is not bad! In Brisbane, on 1 June last year:

I've got full confidence in the independent umpire maintaining our penalty rates structure. Penalty rates were first introduced in Australia through the application of unions representing workers and arbitrated by the independent umpire. And the improvements … have always come through the independent umpire.

On the same day, on the idea that if you took away the independent umpire then somehow miraculously you trusted parliament to set the conditions in every Australian workplace, he said:

…that will be providing a loaded gun for a future Conservative government to radically reduce conditions in Australia.

Well, you have the current conservative government—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is on direct relevance, Mr Speaker. The question asked the Prime Minister what he is doing. If the answer is 'nothing', he should sit down.

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will cease interjecting, as will the Foreign Minister. The Prime Minister is completely in order. The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In terms of dealing with penalty rates, from our side of politics we believe that the Fair Work Commission is the independent umpire, it should make the decisions and we should respect them. That used to be the position of the other side. Apparently in January, according to the member for McMahon, the Leader of the Opposition had some sort of thought cleansing experience. Suddenly, he was reprogrammed—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is called the CFMEU!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I think it was the CFMEU! I thank my friend for the inspiration there. That is undoubtedly what it was. But, of course, there is enormous experience on the other side of the House with trading away penalty rates. In fact, they are dab hands at it. We have talked about Cleanevent and its 2006 EBA, which was with the AWU, that specifically excluded penalty rates, public holiday pay, overtime and shift loading. It was saving Cleanevent $2 million a year in wages by 2010. That was a pretty good deal for the company. It entered into a 1998 EBA with the AWU, which saved the company up to $400 million to 2004, after removing night-shift penalties and weekend loadings. So the Leader of the Opposition has a lot of experience trading away penalty rates there. It is a long list—Chiquita Mushrooms, Cirque du Soleil. The Leader of the Opposition is an absolute expert in trading away penalty rates. He used to be an authority on respecting the independent umpire, but now I am afraid that he has been reprogrammed.

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barton is warned. The member for Gorton can just wait for a second while I deal with a few members of the House, if that is okay. You can stand and wait or resume your seat—whatever you like. The member for Bendigo interjects consistently. If someone were to transcribe the member for Bendigo's interjections through that answer, it will come to about half the total of the Prime Minister's words. The member for Bendigo will not interject for the rest of question time. The member for Bendigo will not interject now. She is warned, as is the member for Griffith once again. The member for Gorton, seeking leave?

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am seeking leave to table an article from the Sydney Morning Herald that indicates that up to $77 will be cut for each worker for 65,000 workers.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted?

Leave not granted.