House debates Questions without Notice

Medibank Private

Monday, 4 September 2006 House of Representatives

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations

2:54 pm

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the Australian workplace agreement currently offered by Medibank Private to its customer service and sales staff. Prime Minister, isn’t it the case that the Medibank Private AWA scraps evening penalty rates, removes overtime rates, removes roster protections, does not provide for a pay increase during the three-year life of the agreement and provides for a performance bonus entirely at management’s discretion? Prime Minister, is it the government’s plan to offer AWAs like this to make Medibank Private’s bottom line more attractive for sale?

John Howard

John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister

I do not know what is in the Medibank Private agreement, but I will find out. If the track record of the member for Perth on these matters to date is any guide, what he has implied will not actually tally with the real facts.