Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Can the minister outline the uneven playing field that exists between big business and small businesses in relation to Sunday rates?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the big differences between those of us on this side of the chamber and those on the other side is that we understand, in particular, small business. The closest those on the other side have ever come to a business is to proudly close it down, and that is why they do not understand the implications of the Fair Work decision. Those on the other side are happy to support big unions and big business doing deals to trade away Sunday penalty rates, but they will not support a decision of the independent Fair Work Commission that seeks to level the playing field so that small business is able to compete with the big businesses who have cosied up to the unions. So let's pose a few questions, colleagues: is it fair that a family hardware store, mum and dad working hard, must pay more than $5 an hour more than Bunnings to open on a Sunday? Colleagues, is it fair that a family newsagency—we all know one—has to pay $7 more per hour on a Sunday than Officeworks? Is it fair that a family bottle shop must pay, if they can open on a Sunday, $7 more per hour than Dan Murphy's? And the list goes on. What about a boutique clothes shop? If a small business owner, who wants to offer some beautiful clothes, wants to open on a Sunday, they have got to pay $7 more per hour than David Jones. Then of course you have a family book shop, a beautiful old family bookshop—we have all been to them—and they have got to pay, if they can open on a Sunday, $8 more per hour than Target. That is not fair, and that is why we proudly stand up for small business on this side of the chamber. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, a supplementary question.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister also outline the details of the deals that have led to this disparity between small businesses and big businesses.

Senator Wong interjecting—

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

) ( ): Thank you, and I will take the comment from the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Senator Wong who said, 'Please keep talking about the issue.' I would be delighted to keep talking about the issue.

Let's talk about the deals that are done, the enterprise bargaining deals between the big unions and the big businesses. For a number of years now, we know that big unions and big businesses have been getting together and they have been happily, openly, trading away Sunday penalty rates at the expense of small businesses.

Yet, again, I am going to have to disclose that it is the opposition leader, the current opposition leader, Mr Shorten, who has perfected the art of negotiating away the Sunday penalty rates for the lowest-paid workers in this country. We all know about Cleanevent but do we also know: he did the same thing when he was negotiating for the low-paid workers at Chiquita Mushrooms— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, a final supplementary question.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister also advise the Senate of the reaction following previous changes to Sunday penalty rates.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, this is where there is a little bit of hypocrisy from those on the other side because you would actually think that penalty rates had never been reduced under a Labor government. Well, colleagues, guess what? They were: they were reduced under the former Labor government. Tell me: was there a massive scare campaign at the time by the CFMEU saying, 'We are going to take down that Labor government. What an absolute disgrace! They have reduced the penalty rates for some of the lowest-paid workers in the country.' No, there was not, colleagues.

That would indicate to me that the current campaign that is being run by Labor and the unions is nothing more and nothing less than a campaign based on political opportunity. Under the former Labor government, for example, when a hotel employee state award in New South Wales was modernised, penalty rates were reduced by 25 per cent. They went from 200 per cent on a Sunday to 175, and we heard nothing. (Time expired)

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.