Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are often thankful for nurses at the point at which they are there to help us when we are in need, but the question for us is: will we be there at their time of need? By that I mean: at the moment, with the Productivity Commission reviewing workplace relations in this country, one of the things that nurses are concerned about is the future of their penalty rates. At a time when the RBA says that the growth in wages is at its lowest since they began collecting records on wage growth, since 1997, to seriously suggest that now is the time to cut penalty rates and take-home pay is bizarre. For nurses in particular, where penalty rates make up such a big part of their take-home pay, this is something that should cause great concern.

Mr Tudge interjecting—

Those opposite might say that this is a scare campaign. They are absolutely right. It is frightening for nurses, who rely upon this level of money in their weekly pay, to have it taken from them. When they are supporting us at our time of need, we should be ensuring that people on low incomes or middle incomes who rely on that have the support they need. Nursing is already under pressure, needing more people to go into the profession. For us to be seriously suggesting that we would cut wages at a time we need more skills makes no sense whatsoever.