Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. On Friday, Labor made a submission to the Fair Work Commission, including opposing any move to review and cut the penalty rates of 84,000 workers in the hairdressing and beauty industry. Why won't the Prime Minister admit to the House and to the Australian people that he did absolutely nothing to protect the penalty rates of hairdressers and beauticians?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. I have already referred to the way in which the honourable member defended the independence of the Fair Work Commission and in fact extolled it. The reality is that the honourable members opposite in their focus on workers today should have regards for the 450 workers at Hazelwood who are going to lose their jobs and they should be paying attention to that. We, on the other hand, are providing over $40 million in funding to support enterprise, development, new jobs, new opportunities in the Gippsland area, and the members for Gippsland and McMillan have been working with the government to ensure that that community, which is being hard hit, is being provided with support. What we are also doing is spending $600 million on infrastructure through those areas. But you can see the member opposite has no interest in those workers—none at all.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

The member for Sydney will cease interjecting. Has the Prime Minister concluded his answer? The Prime Minister has concluded his answer. The member for Gorton will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

Members on both sides will cease interjecting; otherwise, they will have an early exit from question time. The member for Braddon is warned.