Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

Labor and the unions want it both ways. They want to be able to negotiate away penalty rates. In that respect, obviously, can I just remind colleagues that, when Mr Shorten was secretary of the AWU, workers at Clean Event were paid $10 less per hour than they would've been under the award—but, again, I think they were Mr Shorten's brilliant negotiating skills on display there. But those on the other side and unions want to have it both ways. They want to be able to negotiate away penalty rates for those working on a Sunday; however, when the independent Fair Work Commission makes a decision, based on many years of taking evidence, a considered decision under the process put forward by Labor, they have the audacity to stand up and say, 'That is not good enough.' They will always stand for big business and big unions doing deals to, quite frankly, screw employees but they will never stand for small business.