Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Abetz. I refer to recent comments by junior minister Jamie Briggs, who said:

We cannot accept that on New Year’s Eve you can’t attend your ­favourite restaurant because it is impossible for that restaurant to pay its staff to open up …

and that penalty rates are 'an area we must reform'. Does the minister agree?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recall the words of the former tourism minister who also was a former President of the ACTU, one Martin Ferguson, who in his ministerial capacity whilst addressing a tourism conference in our capital city of Hobart said to the assembled throng that he understood that the key issue facing the sector was penalty rates. So there is no doubt that on both sides of the political divide there is concern about the impact of penalty rates.

Having said that, we have made it extremely clear that the Fair Work Commission is the right and appropriate body to determine wages and penalty rates. That has been our consistent position for a long time. It will remain our consistent position for a long time.

The fact that Mr Briggs should echo Mr Ferguson's comment should come as no surprise. If Senator McEwen wants to attack her fellow South Australian colleague, Minister Briggs, she was strangely silent when her former ministerial friend Mr Ferguson made exactly the same observation. You seem to be crying crocodile tears here, Senator, because you know that Mr Briggs has simply echoed that which a former Labor minister had indicated to the tourism sector. Let us be absolutely clear as a government that the Fair Work Commission will continue to set minimum wages and penalty rates.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to comments by South Australian Family First Senator Bob Day, who said that young people should be allowed to negotiate their own pay and conditions with employers. Does the minister agree with Senator Bob Day?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh my goodness! Senator McEwen really is behind the times. I thought that was part of Senator Day's first question in this place, and I answered that at the time. It is there on the Hansard record for the honourable senator to read. I am sure that Senator Day will have more to say about these matters in his first speech, which I wish him all the best for, tomorrow evening at about five o'clock. Having said that, Mr President, at the time that the good Senator Day asked me a question about this, I indicated exactly the same response as I gave to Senator McEwen in relation to her substantive question, and that is: we hear what people are saying in the community, but the appropriate place for this to be ventilated and determined is the independent Fair Work Commission.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer the minister to the Commission of Audit recommendation that Australia's minimum wage should be reduced to 44 per cent of average weekly earnings over the next decade, which would mean a cut for minimum wage workers in his home state of Tasmania of $225 a week. Does the minister support the recommendation?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, this is traversing old history. I do not know where Senator McEwen has been for the past few months. In relation to the Commission of Audit, we indicated at that very time that this was a report to government, not from government, and we ruled that recommendation out immediately. I, in fact, issued a media release ruling it out. So why would Senator McEwen come in here deliberately peddling that which has already been ruled out? When the Labor Party are in strife, when the Labor Party is shown to have no policies in the important areas, what do they do? They break the glass and they reach for workplace relations policies. You have tried for the last four years and you have failed. You will continue to fail.