By DANI ROTHWELL
LABOR candidate for McMillan Chris Buckingham has warned the Federal Government to tread lightly on workers.
He has deemed their review of the workplace relations framework by the Productivity Commission an indicator of their determination “to introduce WorkChoices 2.0”.
He said the government was “seeking to attack penalty rates through the backdoor of the Productivity Commission”.
“The government wrote the terms of reference for the review – they specifically directed the commission to look at penalty rates and the minimum wage,” Mr Buckingham said.
In fact, the Productivity Commission’s Terms of Reference section does not specifically mention penalty rates.
The closest it comes is in the point of “fair and equitable pay and conditions for employees, including the maintenance of a relevant safety net”.
The key points relating to penalty rates in this draft report recognise “penalty rates have a legitimate role in compensating employees for working long hours or at unsociable times”.
It continues to say “they should be maintained. However, Sunday penalty rates for cafes, hospitality, entertainment, restaurants and retailing should be aligned with Saturday rates”.
There is a subsection of under ‘the safety net’ referring to penalty rates, along with minimum wages, awards, national employment standards and wages for juniors, apprentices and trainees.
“The government’s terms of reference ensured that the Productivity Commission included an examination of the minimum wage and penalty rates,” Mr Buckingham said when asked for clarification.
The report’s justification for bringing Sunday penalty rates in line with Saturday rates comes from confirming through research that ‘the social ‘disabilities’ of working on Sundays are always less than evening work and sometimes less than Saturdays’ is true.
“Our region urgently needs strong positive advocacy in Canberra and inclusive leadership closer to home,” Mr Buckingham said.
“The sitting member needs to turn his attention to the needs of working households rather than campaigning for Bronwyn Bishop’s job.”
Mr Buckingham would not be interviewed over the phone but responded within an hour of questions being sent via email, leaving questions unanswered.
McMillan MP Russell Broadbent’s only comment was that he would not response to Labor Party press releases, despite other questions being asked.
The key question both avoided was whether they were willing to work together to ensure the best outcomes for McMillan residents.
