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

My question is to the Prime Minister. We know that the Prime Minister changes his policies when he feels pressure from the Liberal party room, so why doesn't he feel any pressure to act when nearly 700,000 workers are facing penalty rate cuts on Sundays?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. As he knows very well, the Fair Work Commission's decision to bring Sunday penalty rates closer to Saturday penalty rates was based on a careful and objective assessment of the circumstances in the retail and hospitality sectors. That independent umpire concluded that by bringing those Sunday penalty rates closer to Saturday ones it would create thousands more jobs, that more businesses would be open on weekends thus providing more opportunities for employment. That was the object of the inquiry. It was an inquiry started by the Leader of the Opposition by a body with members appointed by the Labor Party and which the Leader of the Opposition pledged to support.

The opposition has not one policy that supports business—not one. Eighty-seven per cent of Australian workers work for the private sector. That is right. That is where the job growth comes from. That is where the opportunities come from. Labor has nothing to offer. It wants to impose higher taxes on Australian business and higher energy prices. It opposes measures to improve employment. It stands in the way of the jobs and growth that Australians deserve. I challenge honourable members opposite to name one policy of Labor's that would create one extra job—just one. It does not have any. It wants to impose higher electricity prices, less reliable electricity, higher taxes and higher debt and it wants to oppose free trade. There is nothing that the Labor Party has to offer to the businesses of Australia, and that means those businesses will not be given the incentive to offer more jobs to more Australians.