House debates Questions without Notice
JobMaker Hiring Credit
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:12 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that no worker will be sacked or have their hours cut for cheaper workers with a hiring credit?
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The protections were set out in the protections that sit underneath the bill, and that's why they're in place—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Members:
Honourable members interjecting—
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
They're in place to achieve the outcomes that the Leader of the Opposition has set out. I will ask the Minister for Industrial Relations to add further to the answer.
Christian Porter Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General
2:13 pm
It is a very important question. What this chamber and the dispatch box should not be used for is to send the wrong message to any employer or business that they might be able to do something which, at law, they clearly should not be doing. The general protection provisions in the Fair Work Act, which include all casuals, include general protections against adverse action, such as dismissal or a reduction in hours on the basis of a protected attribute or age. An employer who contravenes the general protections could face significant civil penalties of up to $13,320 for an individual and $66,000 for a body corporate. They might also be required to pay compensation. Why would Labor be using this dispatch box to suggest to employers that they could do something that they clearly cannot and should not do and for which there are very serious penalties if they ever were to do it?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Members:
Honourable members interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
Members on both sides! I guarantee I'll start ejecting people in a second.