Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the fact that, as a result of record high petrol prices, service stations around Australia are experiencing a greater number of drive-aways—people driving away without paying for their petrol. Is the Prime Minister aware that a 17-year-old schoolboy, Billy Schultze, works after school and on weekends at the Belair BP service station in Adelaide and, in addition to his other duties, must record the registration of every car that drives off without paying? Is the Prime Minister also aware that Billy has recently been suspended and punished financially for not noting down all of the registration details of drive-offs that occurred during his shift? Does the Prime Minister agree that this is unfair?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In answer to the member for Adelaide, I am aware of some examples of people driving away without paying for their petrol. That is a product of high petrol prices, I guess, and the willingness of some in the community to avoid their legal responsibilities. I am not personally aware—and I think she would agree it is hardly reasonable that I should be aware—of the employment circumstances of everybody who works at a service station. From two generations of my family’s experience, I do know something about what is involved in working at a petrol service station. In fact, one of my own sons worked at a BP some years ago, so I am very familiar. But all I can say—and I am not casting an opinion on this case as I do not know the facts and circumstances and it would not be fair of me, in relation to either the young man or his employer, to express an opinion—is that generally speaking, irrespective of what industrial relations laws you have, some employers do the wrong thing and some employees do the wrong thing.