Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to an AWA offered by Lufthansa airline’s Australian subsidiary Global Tele Sales to its call centre employees, and to confidential internal documents associated with the AWA. Isn’t it the case that the AWA reduces penalty rates for Sunday and public holiday work, abolishes early morning and evening penalty rates and reduces base rates of pay? Isn’t it also the case that, on Global’s own calculations, a general reservations agent earning the base rate pay under Global’s AWA would be $49.86 a week worse off, $2,593 a year worse off or $5,186 worse off over the two-year life of the agreement when compared with the current collective agreement?

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Perth for his question, because—

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Whatever you do, don’t have a reshuffle, John!

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

Order! The member for Melbourne!

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am aware of a report which the member for Perth referred to this morning by the Workplace Rights Advocate about this particular AWA. An interesting part of this report is that the Victorian Workplace Rights Advocate, appointed by the Victorian Labor government, says in his report that, for reasons that he sets out, he is referring this complaint to the Office of Workplace Services—

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So what?

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

Order! The member for Perth has asked his question.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

which the Leader of the Opposition described in this place yesterday as ‘snivelling liars’. The Victorian Workplace Rights Advocate is referring this matter to that very same Office of Workplace Services. This is an indictment on the Leader of the Opposition and the ALP for his disgraceful, cowardly and slanderous comments that he made yesterday.

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tanner interjecting

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

The member for Melbourne is warned!

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. My question was about an AWA, where people are $2,593 a year worse off.

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

The minister is answering the substance of the question.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This report reveals two things. One is that, yes, there is a reduction in the base rate of pay of up to four per cent. But what the member for Perth failed to reveal in his question—as we have heard from him in the past—is that there is also a bonus system introduced under this arrangement, a bonus system that returns up to 16 per cent per annum.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The minister will be heard!

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Roxon interjecting

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

The member for Gellibrand is warned!

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member for Perth was prepared to come in here and tell the whole truth about this matter, he would have also revealed that there is up to a net 12 per cent increase for workers under this particular arrangement. The member for Perth has form. He came in here earlier in the year in relation to an agreement with Esselte and failed to disclose the full terms of that agreement, which, when investigated, revealed something else.

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not true.

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

The member for Perth is warned!

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have the ACTU running misleading and deceptive advertisements which, when investigated by the Office of Workplace Services, are shown to be wrong, are shown to be misleading and deceptive. And he is up to the same old tricks once again here in the House today. I say to members of the House and I say to the Australian public: whenever you hear an allegation, whether it is from the member for Perth or the Leader of the Opposition or the ACTU, you cannot take it on face value because, even on what he said today, he has failed to tell the whole truth.