Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have to shout to make you people understand what you are doing to the wages and conditions of ordinary working Australians. Sixty-four per cent of every AWA entered into since the introduction of Work Choices has removed leave loadings; 63 per cent removed all penalty rates; 52 per cent removed shiftwork loadings; 41 per cent did not even contain gazetted public holidays; 31 per cent modified overtime loadings; 29 per cent modified rest breaks; 27 per cent modified public holiday payments; 16 per cent of every AWA excluded every single award condition—every award condition gone; and 22 per cent of AWAs provided for no wage increase during the life of the AWA. This government says that it is driving wages up, when the facts clearly show that AWAs are reducing conditions and reducing wages for ordinary Australians. The ABS statistics on wages are starting to demonstrate that. (Time expired)