Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Workplace Relations. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to protect penalty and overtime rates for award-reliant workers? Why is this an urgent priority for the government and what puts these protections at risk?

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chisholm not only for the question but her advocacy for working people in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Of course in our first term, the Albanese government delivered landmark workplace relations reforms, with one goal: to get wages moving. Now we are continuing that work by delivering on our very clear and very simple election commitment to protect penalty and overtime rates in modern awards for 2.6 million low-paid workers. Our government believes that workers deserve laws that ensure their pay does not go backwards.

I've been asked why this legislation is urgent. There are cases underway right now to trade away penalty and overtime rates for some our lowest paid workers, in particular in the retail industry. The retail award sets the pay of 350,000 workers directly and another 690,000 workers indirectly. For some of these workers, if this case was to succeed, it is estimated they could stand to lose up to $10,000 through a reduction of their penalty rates and overtime rates. For some of our lowest-paid workers, this would be a huge cut to their take-home pay. Our government is taking urgent and decisive action to ensure the pay of hardworking Australians is protected. We've been very, very clear about our commitment. We've engaged in genuine consultation, right across the board, with employers, unions and—for the benefit of the shadow minister—small business as well, about our very simple proposition, which is to protect penalty rates and overtime rates.

I'm asked about any potential risk to these protections, and, unfortunately, the risk is those opposite. The shadow minister was so desperate to stand in the way of protecting penalty rates that earlier today he tried to delay our penalty rates bill by referring it to a committee that doesn't even exist. I have seen a lot of creative ways—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will hold her horses for a second and I will hear from the Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is inaccurate. The committee was renamed and the Clerk's advice—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're not having that. I'm going to put the Manager of Opposition Business on a warning because he knows that it's not appropriate to simply jump up and give your opinion on something. If he wants to accuse the minister of doing something or not doing something, there are other forms of the House to do that. During question time is not the time to do it. We're not going to get into this territory of people just standing up and giving their opinion. If they do that, they won't be here for any more of question time. The minister has 40 seconds to complete her answer.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have seen many, many creative ways that those opposite have tried to cut working people's wages and conditions, but this is the first time I have seen an attempt to send it to a committee that doesn't exist. Of course, we know the shadow minister loves grandstanding, perhaps to distract from the truth, or perhaps to distract from his lack of competence. But the truth is the coalition doesn't support protecting penalty rates.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You should've heard his second reading speech!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Minister, I'm going to caution you as well. You can sit there for a moment while I hear this point of order. We haven't had a point of order on relevance yet.

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on reflections on members. I ask the minister to withdraw that comment.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House on the point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We would basically be ending debate if we couldn't have discussions about somebody's competence in this place. For the opposition, I think this is one where you would need to be careful about the implications of the language that you use in questions. Mr Speaker, you made a ruling earlier today about descriptors. That's where there is a descriptor being given to someone's name, but to have a situation where you can't even have an allegation about competence would really kill debate in this chamber.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not going to ask the minister to withdraw that, but I will ask everyone in the chamber to be respectful with their language, and, in particular when you're referring to other members, just refer to the member by their title or name. That's it. I call the minister to conclude her answer.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian people voted for protecting penalty rates and we will get on with the job to do just that.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.