Page 1219 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 6 April 2016
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For those who work Monday to Friday, weekends are incredibly valuable. It is when we spend time with friends and family, go out and have fun and do all those things we do not have time to do during the week. Penalty rates are not just about pay packets; they are about our ability to balance work and life. Those who do not have that balance because they work unsociable hours should be fairly compensated. If weekends end up being treated like every other day of the week, if working at midnight is considered the same as working at midday, work/life balance will crumble.
Yes, workplaces have evolved over time, and many people claim we now live in a seven-day economy. But a seven-day economy does not mean a seven-day working week. As my colleague Adam Bandt MP has said:
I’ll believe that Saturday and Sunday no longer deserve the same special treatment when Parliament sits regularly on the weekends.
Workers should not be punished just because consumer expectations have changed and people want things seven days a week. Many people in the retail and hospitality industry, especially young workers, rely on penalty rates to earn a living wage. These workers are often already on a low wage. Any cut to their penalty rates would have a big impact on their take-home pay packet.
Members will be aware that in August last year Senators Leyonhjelm and Day introduced to the Australian Senate the Fair Work Amendment (Penalty Rates Exemption for Small Businesses) Bill 2015. The Australian Greens made clear during that debate that we will always fight any attack on penalty rates, the minimum wage, and rights at work. The Leyonhjelm bill would have impacted heavily on young people, students, low income workers and people with insecure casual work. These are the kinds of people who depend most on penalty rates to make ends meet.
In our country, the majority of casual workers are women. Many Australian women and their families depend on penalty rates and would be financially devastated if penalty rates were cut. The Leyonhjelm bill remains before the Senate and is unlikely to progress during the current term of parliament. However, it is important to note that the Fair Work Commission review of penalty rates is proceeding at a time in our country when the gap between the haves and the have-nots is enormous and growing.
Members will recall new data released by the Bureau of Statistics in February which detailed wealth disparity in Australia well above the OECD average. The top 10 per cent of wealth holders own 45 per cent of all wealth. The Australian Council of Social Services points out, however, that while this level of inequality is unacceptable, inequality in Australia is lower than in countries like the US and the UK, because Australia has traditionally enjoyed a strong set of institutions designed to limit inequality.
A 2015 ACOSS report, Inequality in Australia: a nation divided, said:
In the past, a strong set of institutions in Australia have kept income and wealth inequality in check while still making room for steady economic growth. This ‘Australian economic model’ included full employment policies, universal access
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