Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the Prime Minister has heard from just some of the nearly 700,000 Australians who will have their pay cut because of the Prime Minister's support for the penalty rates decision.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has the power to stop these pay cuts, and he will not.

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The level of interjections on my right is now far too high—I am going to ask the Leader of the Opposition to begin his question again—and, if that continues, there will be members joining the member for Fenner and others. The Leader of the Opposition will begin his question again.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the Prime Minister has heard from just some of the nearly 700,000 Australians who will have their pay cut because of the Prime Minister's support for the penalty rates decision. The Prime Minister has the power to stop this decision, and he will not stop the cuts. Why is this Prime Minister doing everything he can to give big business a tax cut but doing absolutely nothing to stop workers getting a pay cut?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nobody in this place has done more to give workers a cut in penalty rates than the Leader of the Opposition! He is a man with a record. What about the workers at Melbourne Olympic Park? What about them? They did not get penalty rates. Oh, yes, they got 25 per cent extra to work—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition knows the rule on props.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

apart from that, nothing. He talks about 700,000 workers being affected. Well, we have seen the reports today that there are around 286,000. That is a very substantial number, but it is not 700,000, and it shows the way—

Mr Bowen interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMahon!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the honourable member is loose with the truth. We have heard this week about his great track record in trading away penalty rates for the workers that he represented. We have heard about how he traded away penalty rates for the workers at Cleanevent, some of the lowest paid workers in Australia, and got a cash payment back to the AWU. He did that.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMahon is warned!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But it gets worse than that. When in government, this Leader of the Opposition, against the advice of his department—so it is reported—issued 457 visas for fast-food workers for McDonald's.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion—

An opposition member interjecting—

Yes. You can run but you can't hide, mate. Let's bring it on.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. The Leader of the Opposition needs to resume his seat. I am sorry I recognised the Leader of the Opposition, because he can only jump in the middle of an answer on a point of order. He can certainly jump at the end of the answer.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Member for Grayndler, it might be your 21st anniversary in this place, but I do not want you finished before the end of question time. I am not going to allow that device to be used in the middle of an answer. The only reason I will be recognising members in the middle of an answer is on a point of order. The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition again and again traded away penalty rates for the low-paid workers under his union that he was meant to be representing. He had the power not to sell them out, but he did. He stood up and said again and again that he supported the independent umpire and then he ran away from that. He does not have the courage to stick with one position for any period of time that commits him to being a man of integrity. He backs away from supporting the independent umpire, which has been a fundamental part of the Labor Party's approach to industrial relations for over a century. He has no integrity or consistency. This is hypocrisy from the Leader of the Opposition. Now, as he starts to try to revive the momentum of his blundering outburst a moment ago, we will see how he goes— (Time expired)