Page 254 - Week 01 - Thursday, 24 February 1994
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and go onto an adult wage, it will be impossible for that employer to say, "I no longer wish to employ you; I wish to employ somebody else who will be eligible for that youth wage". That, Madam Speaker, does compromise the concept of a youth wage.
Mr Berry: No, it does not.
MR HUMPHRIES: It does. Potentially, we will see a situation where the worker at McDonald's who turns 21 will say to the boss, "I am sorry; I want to stay on in this job. I quite like it. It suits my hours", or whatever. We may, in due course, see older and older people behind the counter at McDonald's, serving us the hamburgers and the fries to go with them.
Mr Kaine: And the price of hamburgers will go up.
MR HUMPHRIES: As Mr Kaine quite accurately points out, if that is the trend, the price of hamburgers will go up because McDonald's obviously will be paying a higher wage.
Mr Connolly: But all the smokers will be forced to go to McDonald's for their takeaways because we ban smoking in restaurants. They will be in greater demand, so you will be right.
MR HUMPHRIES: The Government can make frivolous comments about that; but, frankly, if you have the capacity to employ somebody because you want a youth wage worker but you do not have the power to dismiss them when they cease to be eligible for the youth wage, you necessarily compromise the concept of a youth wage.
Mr Berry: No, you do not.
MR HUMPHRIES: I think you must.
Mr Connolly: Your concept of a youth wage is cheap sweated labour. That is not the concept of a youth wage that we have.
MR HUMPHRIES: We are not arguing about a youth wage. The Commonwealth acknowledges that there is such a thing as a youth wage. It says that it is lawful to pay people at a lower rate in order to facilitate their gaining of experience and their entry into the work force. It is a pity that members opposite do not realise that that is a very good thing to happen. The question of how much you pay them is quite immaterial in that sense; the concept is already there. To quote that famous line from Lord Byron, "I am not arguing, madam, what you are, but how much we are going to pay you". Madam Speaker, the point is: If we compromise the concept, how will this impact out in the work force? How will we find people dealing with that situation in the work force? Will it cause people to say, "I am potentially going to be employing people on an adult wage for a long period. Perhaps I should review the policy on which I employ people on a long-term basis. Perhaps I should not be going for untried 18-year-olds or 17-year-olds, as I do not know what I will be getting if I am still employing them when they are 27 or 37."? That is a real argument.
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