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

but in 2013, together with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Chris Bowen, the Leader of the Opposition, then the minister for education and workplace relations reform, promised that a Rudd Labor government would provide funding of $400,000 over two years to COSBOA—that is, the small-business organisation—to:

… participate in the 4 year review of Modern Awards due to start next year.

This ensures that small business has appropriate representation in those proceedings.

What did they imagine the small-business organisation would be saying? Did they think COSBOA would be saying, 'Those penalty rates are too low; they've got to go up'? Did they think they would say they should stay the same? Of course not.

He started the review. He appointed the commissioners. He defended its independence. And then he was going to pay the small-business lobby to argue for the reduction of Sunday penalty rates. Well, he would know a lot about that from one EBA to another. He did it to the members of the AWU again and again.

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