Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer and Acting Prime Minister. I refer him to an AWA offered by Spotlight, a company with nearly 100 stores and 6,000 staff, to a prospective new employee in New South Wales which provides an hourly rate of 2c above the award rate of pay but which has no provision for any penalty rates and no provision for any overtime. Does the Acting Prime Minister believe it is appropriate that the government’s legislation enables penalty rates and overtime to be sold down the river for the princely sum of 2c an hour?

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Needless to say, long experience in this place has led me to believe I will never take an assertion from the Leader of the Opposition in relation to this or anything. But can I say that the government’s Work Choices legislation enables employees to come to agreements with employers which suit both of them, with terms that are protected by the Australian fair pay and conditions standard. Those standards protect important matters and ensure that there is a floor under wage negotiations. They do not stand in the way—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Albanese interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Grayndler!

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

of people ensuring that they come to mutually bona fide agreements which are in the interests of both employers and employees. One of the things that this country has needed for years is the opportunity to have a more flexible labour market. Under a more flexible labour market Australia will have more jobs and they will be higher paid. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. We need only look at the outcomes. Since this government was elected in 1996 there have been 1.7 million new jobs created in Australia. Since this government was elected in 1996 real wages have increased 16.7 per cent. Under 13 years of Labor government real wages increased 0.3 per cent. One of the proudest boasts of the Labor Party was how they depressed real wages. I can remember Mr Keating standing at this box boasting over and over again that Labor had suppressed real wages.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Owens interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Parramatta is warned!

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition boast is that under a coalition government real wages have gone up and under a better industrial relations system people will get better job outcomes.