House debates Questions without Notice
Workplace Relations
Kirsten Livermore Capricornia, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education
2:29 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the website of Brisbane law firm Connor Hunter, which states:
The Federal Government’s work Choices amendments offer you the opportunity to reduce your overheads significantly.
… … …
Employers can remove award conditions ... without compensating the employee at all. This affords employers the opportunity to reduce weekly pay through making cuts to penalty rates, overtime rates, leave loading, shift allowances and other forms of remunerating employees.
Prime Minister, they are right, aren’t they?
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I will tell you what is right: every charge of substance made against Work Choices—
Martin Ferguson Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Resources, Forestry and Tourism
Just plead guilty, John!
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Martin, you know whose side you are on! You are the last bloke who should interject this week. You have been a humdinger for us this week, you really have. You should just sit there and know you are right. You are right, Martin.
Lindsay Tanner Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing
Mr Pyne interjecting
Lindsay Tanner Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Mr Speaker, I rise on two points of order: firstly, relevance and, secondly, the Prime Minister continually referring to a member as ‘you’, for which you did not pick him up.
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Melbourne has raised a valid point of order inasmuch as the Prime Minister should refer to members by their name, but the Prime Minister is in order.
Lindsay Tanner Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Mr Speaker, I raised two points of order. I would ask you to rule on whether the Prime Minister’s answer was relevant to the question—
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Melbourne will resume his seat! I ruled that the Prime Minister should refer to members by their seat and I said that he was in order.
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I was referring to the member for Batman by a rather more affectionate term than ‘you’. In reply to the member for Capricornia, I will tell you what is right: the three charges made against Work Choices by Labor and the unions have all been proved wrong. That is what is right. The first charge that was made against Work Choices was that it was going to cause enormous unemployment. The problem with that charge and why it falls to the ground is that, in almost seven months, we have had 205,000 new jobs created in Australia.
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Blaxland is warned! The Prime Minister will be heard.
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The second charge made against the legislation was that it was going to lead to strikes and industrial chaos. We have in fact in the last three months recorded the lowest level of industrial disputes in Australia since the records were kept. The third charge made against this legislation was that it was going to drive down wages. In the six months that have gone by, real wages have continued to rise at a rate of 16.4 per cent a year. We all know what happened to real wages in the 13 years of Labor. They fell by 0.2 per cent in real terms.
Wayne Swan Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
Mr Swan interjecting
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The final nail in the coffin was the absurd argument advanced by those who sit opposite and their supporters in the union movement that the new Fair Pay Commission, which they derisively called a low pay commission, was going to slash the minimum wage. You could see the thunder on their faces despite all the bonhomie they were displaying last Thursday when the decision came out from the Fair Pay Commission of a $27 a week increase in the minimum wage. So I say to the member for Capricornia—and I have not read that particular website—that what is right about Work Choices is that all of your claims against it are dead wrong.