Press Conference, Perth

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS: Patrick Gorman, Member for Perth. It’s great to be here with Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Amanda Rishworth, here in the Perth CBD where thousands of workers rely, year on year, on penalty rates. They rely on them to pay for their essentials and they rely on them so they can enjoy the benefits of having good quality, secure Australian jobs. 

We’re joined by workers who benefit from penalty rates. Here we’ve got Fabiola who we’ve been having a chat to. We’ve got Jamie and we’ve got Lorenzo. And they’re all going to say a little bit in a moment about what penalty rates mean for them and about what the work that Amanda and the Federal Labor Government have been doing means when it comes to making sure that people can earn a bit more and keep more of what they earn. It was a big discussion in Australian politics this year and we’re really proud of what we’ve delivered.

Here in WA, we have added two additional public holidays and that means a lot. Show Day, we’ve just had the Royal Show, making sure that people can have time to go to the Royal Show and if you're like these guys working, you can earn your penalty rates, it’s so important. And the other one is bringing us into line when it comes to Easter Saturday, making sure that WA has those public holidays and we align our public holidays with the rest of the country. But public holiday for workers isn't a public holiday unless you're earning public holiday penalty rates and to talk more about what the Federal Labor Government is doing on that front, I'm going to go to Amanda.

AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS: Thank you, and thank you, Patrick. I am really pleased that one of the first actions we took as a government was to legislate the protection of penalty rates and it couldn't come at a better time for workers here in Western Australia. Western Australia with the additional two public holidays, it is critical that those workers that are requested to work, that give up time away from their families and work those unsociable hours that their penalty rates are protected. We had to take this action because there were a number of cases on foot that would actually look at reducing penalty rates and we know workers rely so much on them. So we took action which was an election commitment to protect workers penalty rates because we know that if you work those unsociable hours, late nights or public holidays, you deserve to be compensated. So I'm so pleased that here in Western Australia for those modern award-reliant workers, their penalty rates are protected, particularly as, in Western Australia, the two new public holidays are introduced.

Of course, here in Western Australia, the State is performing exceptionally well. We have historically low unemployment. We have higher wages, economy-wide wages. This is good news, but we know that those workers, particularly those that rely on awards, need to be supported. And that's why protecting these penalty rates, protecting their take-home pay and importantly protecting their time on public holidays is critically important. So I will now hand over to Jamie who is one of our workers. He's going to say a few words.

JAMIE, WORKER AT WOOLWORTHS: My name’s Jamie from Woolworths. [Indistinct]… so having a fair rate would actually give them a little bit of wage so they can afford to eat food, they can afford rent, they can afford other things. So I really appreciate Labor and the Greens to put this forward, this sort of stuff. And yeah, just thanks so much. Appreciate it.

PATRICK GORMAN: Thanks Jamie. Fabiola, do you want to say a couple of things?

FABIOLA, HOSPITALITY WORKER: Hi, my name is Fabiola. I've been in this industry more than 10 years and then yes, the penalty like pay definitely is significant effect into our life because most of the hospitality working- worker we are living check by pay check and then yes it's really helped us a lot to make our ends meet. And then especially in the hospital industry- hospitality industry, it's a very tough industry. And then, yes, we need this secure and we need something to protect us as well because we need to work. We're away from our family and everything but we must give the best of us to the company and really appreciated this, Labor. These two amazing person that always thinking about us.

PATRICK GORMAN: Thank you so much. Lorenzo?

LORENZO, HOSPITALITY WORKER: Thank you. The penalty rates are incredibly important for students, especially as others mentioned not only do penalty rates mean that we can have a little bit of extra money after having- working weekends, working public holidays, but also means that as a student, we get to spend more time studying and less time worrying about whether or not we're going to have to sacrifice more time to pay rent, to pay for groceries, and things like that. It also means that over weekends and public holidays we actually get to enjoy more time with friends and family because we have more money to spend on things like that.

PATRICK GORMAN: Fantastic.

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Okay, questions?

JOURNALIST: Minister, I guess last time I talked to you mentioned that you weren't sure yet the impact this would have on small business. Have you, I guess, come to a better understanding of that yet?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I reject that proposition. What this means for small business is they don't do anything different. They still continue to pay penalty rates where they previously did. In WA, the rules have not changed. When the new public holidays come in and if you are paying on one of the modern award- modern awards, then you will pay penalty rates. So this has been a bit of a scare campaign where there's some sort of suggestion that this is going to put any new impost on small business. My message to small business, if you are paying penalty rates now, continue to pay penalty rates because that's what we've enshrined in law.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]… The thing from the other side- well, from the industry, and this was around flexibility. Some concerns that it's going to reduce an employee's flexibility to use the chips they have on the table in terms of those penalty rates to argue for a higher base salary?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, there is absolutely the ability to negotiate flexibilities through enterprise bargaining. One of the key reforms in the legislation that we passed last term was to see a reinvigoration of enterprise bargaining, because that is the right place where you can discuss flexibility in the work or any particular trade-offs. And I have to say, our enterprise bargaining is working. We have now seen a record number, 2.8 million employees now covered by enterprise agreements, and we're seeing that higher than economy-wide wage increases, so this is really good news. So that flexibility still exists. This legislative change does not affect the ability to do enterprise bargaining. What it does do is protect the safety net, which is so critical in our award system.

JOURNALIST: Just on the issues of the day, yesterday a pretty big backflip in terms of super changes, the tax there. How's the government going to try and fill that budget hole that it's left now?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, let's be really clear, what we have done is found a better way to do superannuation. Of course, we listened to the feedback and we found a better way. What our changes mean is firstly, for low-income earners, they are going to see an increase in the money that is put into their superannuation. What we're seeing is a more progressive tax rate, a different level of taxation on the $10 million, still concessional, but a higher level. So look, as we look at the forward estimates, I think the Treasurer has gone through the numbers, most of the budget impact is because of the year delay, and there will still be significant revenue gain. But this is about doing things better.

JOURNALIST: There is a dollar revenue drop. How is the government going to adjust for that?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, look, as I said, this is one of the many measures that we have incorporated into the budget. We've taken a responsible budget management approach. But in particular, when it comes to this superannuation, we've made changes that have been a better way to do things, and there is still a significant revenue gain as a result of our changes.

JOURNALIST: On skilled migration, the Premier has publicly asked for WA to not have a drop in skilled migration numbers. Do you think that's a fair enough request?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Look, I'm very aware of the Premier's request, and I know that the Minister for Home Affairs is working across the board and working with Western Australia on skilled migration. Of course, it's probably worth noting that when it comes to the permanent sponsored skilled migration, WA does get around 17 per cent, which is higher than its per capita amount. But, of course, we'll as a government continue to work with Western Australia around this issue. I know that the Minister for Home Affairs is committed to doing that.

JOURNALIST: Is the Federal Government and the state government at odds over this?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Look, we will work with every state and territory. I think you've seen from our government and our Prime Minister a willingness to work very closely with state governments – quite the opposite to under the Coalition that was always at loggerheads with state governments. We will work constructively with state governments across the board. As I said, I understand the request that Premier Cook has made, and that the Minister for Home Affairs is working with him.

JOURNALIST: He did point towards the construction industry, that we have less construction workers in WA than the year before. He said it's going to hurt trying to get that housing target in place. Do you think that's a fair enough concern?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, like I said, the Home Affairs Minister will work with the Minister. I would note that as per the migration review, looking at priority industries has been a focus of my department about streamlining the approval with the right assurances in place, and we'll continue to work across the board as a government. But as I mentioned, when it comes to, for example, the permanent sponsored migration numbers, Western Australia does do relatively better than other parts of the country.

JOURNALIST: Have you heard from other states expressing similar concerns? Would you entertain state-by-state packages?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Look, that's a matter for the Home Affairs Minister. He is absolutely working on this. But we are committed to working together about how we deliver for Australia.

JOURNALIST: The MUA, ETU [indistinct] have been at loggerheads for a few months now over pay and conditions at the Kwinana Port. Is there much of an urgency, I guess, in your mind that this needs to be solved before the grain gets to port, which is probably only a week or so away?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, firstly, I would say that I would encourage all parties to resolve this as quickly as possible, and I think it's important to note that locking out workers should be a very last resort position to take. I would encourage all parties to use the Fair Work Commission to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible, so that workers can get back to working and resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

JOURNALIST: Are you concerned about any political flack back from the bush if this does drag on into the time where grain hits the port and it needs to be exported?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I would say this is a matter that should be resolved as quickly as possible. I would encourage all parties to resolve it as quickly as possible, and I would encourage parties to use the expertise of the Fair Work Commission to resolve it.

JOURNALIST: Do you need to get involved?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Look, we have a strong, independent Fair Work Commission that has the expertise to actually resolve these issues, and I would encourage parties to use those expertise appropriately to resolve this issue.

JOURNALIST: Just for Patrick Gorman as well. I guess as a WA MP yourself, do you agree with Roger Cook's concerns around skilled migration?

PATRICK GORMAN: We always look at what is in the national interest when it comes to skilled migration. That's the obligation that sits on behalf of the government, and that's how we approach all of these things. We're always happy to hear the views of states and territories about what their particular needs are. And I'd also note that the Premier was out yesterday here in Western Australia spruiking our program, the program that Amanda's done a lot of work on, which is the free TAFE program, which is all about making sure that we can give the opportunities to Western Australians to get the skills and the great jobs that we know are out there. 

We've had a very tight labour market here in Western Australia for a number of years now. I want to make sure that the benefits of that flow through as best possible by people getting skills, getting into those industries, including construction, where we're using those skills to build a large part of our important social housing agenda that we've got here, a large part of it sits here in the Perth electorate. But we'll listen to the views of various states and territories as we act in the national interest, as we have done. When it comes to the information I got yesterday, which I was very proud of us as a country, from Minister Burke's office was that since 2019, the number of people coming in on skilled visas for construction work, that's tripled. That's a really good outcome.

JOURNALIST: Is there a risk of that going backwards now if we cut the quotas?

PATRICK GORMAN: We'll always make sure we've got a skilled migration program that's orderly and in our national interest.

JOURNALIST: Do you think WA can reach its housing targets if the skilled migration visas are cut?

PATRICK GORMAN: Well, our national target is for 1.2 million homes...

JOURNALIST: For Western Australia specifically?

PATRICK GORMAN: …Over the course of- out to 2030. We want to make sure that we're investing in the skills that are needed. We have skilled migration coming in. We're working with the states and territories on delivering that housing agenda. It’s been on the agenda of National Cabinet. As many reports have shown in the West Australian, it continues to be a key focus of ours to make sure that we have the investment. Because let's be clear, three years ago when Amanda and I came into government, there was no Commonwealth investment in a broad social housing agenda. So, yes, we have put a significant investment, $42 billion of investment in, and we have also done the careful work to make sure that we've got the skills pipelines. 

And as Amanda said, it's not just one pipeline in terms of skills that come in. When it comes to that permanent skilled sponsored migration for employers, WA gets 17 per cent of that. So WA does get a significant amount of skilled migration, and we've benefited from it. I see those benefits. You see them here. You see those benefits in what it enables our expansion of our critical minerals industry. You see the benefits when it comes to the build that's happening down on Pier Street in my electorate, which is going to mean more than 200 new homes for people here in Perth. And you see it across the country.

But what's always a benefit of Australia is having a systematic, orderly migration system where we do it in the national interest. We'll listen to the views that are put forward, we always do, and then we'll continue to engage.

JOURNALIST: There's a lot of big policy areas though where Western Australia is causing headaches to the government, right? We've seen it in the environment. We've seen it in health. We're seeing it now in migration. Is Western Australia becoming a nuisance to your government in delivering what it’s trying … to achieve?

PATRICK GORMAN: I don't agree with that at all. Western Australia is our partner when it comes to what we are delivering, as I mentioned, in free TAFE. Western Australia is our partner when comes to what we're delivering, when it comes to the schools agreement that the Prime Minister and the Premier signed at Mount Lawley High School in my electorate last year. Western Australia is our partner when it comes to a significant $42 billion investment in social and affordable housing and our Housing Australia plan. Western Australia is our partner when it comes to the important work we're doing at Henderson to make sure we have the defence facilities that we need for our future. 

We'll continue to- and indeed, you had Minister Catherine King here on the weekend opening a significant proof point of that partnership, which is the Byford train station. Again, we're really pleased to have invested in that. And indeed, Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, here today, noting that the work the State Government has done when it comes to harmonising and expanding Western Australia's public holidays and the work that we have done both this year when it comes to penalty rates and making sure they're locked into the future. That, together, is giving real benefits to people like Fabiola who work really hard to keep the WA economy strong.

JOURNALIST: Other states might be concerned about the immigration cuts as well. What does the prospect of a coordinated campaign like we've seen in health on migration mean for the government?

PATRICK GORMAN: Well, I just said we're really happy to hear the views of state governments when it comes to these things. We recognise that they might have a view. As the Minister just noted, it's the Minister for Home Affairs who's the decision-maker and policy lead in these areas. I think you've seen from a lot of the work that we've done over the last three years, in both the portfolio Amanda and I are on for serving and now Minister Burke in the role of Minister of Home Affairs, are really cooperative, really happy to listen, but also, we recognise that we have to make decisions in the national interest and that's how we approach all of these important but complex questions when it comes to migration.

JOURNALIST: There's no state government representative here today with you. Is there any bad blood between you and the state after you spoke out against the Burswood plans?

PATRICK GORMAN: I've done a range of things with a range of state government ministers. My view about the Burswood racetrack has been known for a long period of time, and obviously, I've got an important job to do as the local Federal Member for Perth and I'll continue to do that job. As we've just been talking about from time to time, there are slight- there are views put forward in the interest of making good policy. I take that responsibility seriously. I think the Premier and others do as well.

JOURNALIST: Do you think there are any Western Australian MPs in the state level who agree with your position on the Burswood Entertainment Precinct but are too scared to talk out about it?

PATRICK GORMAN: I speak for myself. I don't speak for anyone else on that- on that matter.

JOURNALIST: On public holidays quickly as well, WA recently changed WA Day. Is there any scope for the Federal Government to change Australia Day?

PATRICK GORMAN: No. I'm the Minister responsible for Australia Day. I'm really proud of the work that we've done to make sure that is an inclusive day that speaks to all Australians. It's when we celebrate the Australian of the Year. Australia Day is when last year we funded some 700 events all across Australia, including some well attended events down here on the Perth Foreshore. Australia Day is our national day. We have to make sure that it's an opportunity for Australians to reflect, respect, and celebrate on this incredible nation. I look forward to celebrating Australia Day on the 26th of January next year as we have done for many decades in this country.

When it comes to the changes that the State Government have made, I think that's because they wanted to have their day slightly away from the poor weather, and they're really clear about the policy drivers behind that. They're trying to get theirs- they've got theirs close to summer. Australia Day is already in summer. Those two public holidays can now bookend each other here in Western Australia. You can kick into summer season with WA Day, and you can start to get ready for return to school and everything else just after Australia Day. Two great opportunities to celebrate this excellent, wonderful state of Western Australia where we are very happy to have special visitors like Amanda Rishworth.

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Excellent. Thank you.