Page 3111 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 24 September 2014
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when a tender goes out, they say, “We will pay a hybrid.” The complexity and the red tape that adds to a business are nothing but prohibitive. For those opposite to stand up and claim anything else is just dishonest.
In the remaining couple of minutes I have got, I am going to touch on the elephant in the room, penalty rates.
Mr Gentleman: Point of order, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: On a point of order, Mr Gentleman.
Mr Gentleman: Madam Speaker, I ask for your ruling—
MR WALL: Can we stop the clock, please, Madam Speaker?
MADAM SPEAKER: We can stop the clock.
Mr Gentleman: Mr Wall has said that members opposite are dishonest in the debate today. I would ask that he—
MADAM SPEAKER: Sorry; what words did Mr Wall use?
Ms Burch: Dishonest.
Mr Gentleman: Mr Wall said that members opposite are dishonest.
MADAM SPEAKER: On the point of order, the general rule is that it should be a reflection on an individual. There have been some rulings in this place that a reflection on the group is a reflection on the individual. Mr Gentleman, could you give me some time to consider? I have made a couple of rulings and I cannot now remember exactly where they were. And there is a landmark ruling by Mr Cornwell. Could you give me time to reflect on that, and I will come back after question time and deal with the point of order?
Mr Gentleman: Of course.
MADAM SPEAKER: That will also give me an opportunity to actually hear what Mr Wall said.
MR WALL: As I said before, in the remaining time, I will touch on what is ultimately the elephant in the room, and that is penalty rates. We have a situation now where many a small business in the ACT is simply unable to employ the staff that they want to, or to operate and trade on Saturdays and Sundays as they would most openly like to do, simply because the cost of employing staff on those days has become so expensive and prohibitive. We are at the point now where a worker can potentially earn more working on a Saturday and a Sunday than they would by working the five ordinary Monday to Friday days.
It is about time we had a mature discussion, not just in this place but across the country, on truly what penalty rates are for in a modern economy. We have what most
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