Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Sheldon and Walsh, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) Dinner by Heston, the high-end restaurant fronted by Mr Heston Blumenthal, has been caught stealing up to $4 million from its own employees,

  (ii) these employees worked up to 25 unpaid hours each week, leaving many underpaid to the sum of $35,000 a year,

  (iii) Dinner by Heston's landlord, Crown Casino, aided in this endeavour by entering into byzantine corporate arrangements including interest-free loans, millions paid to the restaurant's owners in licensing fees, and an annual rent for the restaurant of only $1,

  (iv) this $4 million underpayment scandal joins Mr George Calombaris' $7 million dollar underpayment scandal and Mr Neil Perry's $10 million dollar underpayment scandal as yet another example of an alarming business model amongst elements of corporate Australia, and

  (v) there is a wage theft crisis in Australia that must be addressed;

(b) supports real action on the underlying causes of these issues through the Economics References Committee inquiry, Unlawful underpayment of employees' remuneration, agreed on 13 November 2019; and

(c) commends the United Workers Union for their advocacy and hard work on behalf of these affected restaurant workers.