Bill Shorten links penalty rates with parents affording private schools

Date
    October 5, 2015


Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has defended penalty rates, saying the extra income is the difference between parents sending their children to private schools over public schools.      

Mr Shorten on Monday said millions of Australians would be enjoying the Labour Day public holiday, which is in place in several states across the country including New South Wales and the ACT.


Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has defended penalty rates, saying they allow parents to afford private schools.

On a public holiday, a casually employed cafe worker aged 21 or more serving coffee earns $52.23 an hour, according to the Fair Work Commission's online pay calculator. Small businesses say the high wages force many cafes and small stores to close, because opening would mean operating at a loss.


But Mr Shorten said these loadings were the difference between a parent's child going to a public or private school. 

"See Labor is not out of touch with how people make their money," Mr Shorten told reporters in Sydney.




"For people on $40,000 and $50,000 and $60,000 dollars a year, penalty rates are the difference as to whether or not they can afford to send their kids to a private school," he said.   

"In the retail industry and in the hospitality industry – they are on average, along with agriculture, the lowest paid industries in Australia," he said.   

"If you were to take away penalty rates from these groups, you would even depress their wages further," he said.

The federal government, under the leadership of new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is leaving open the possibility of cutting Sunday penalty rates but says any move would be taken to the next election.

The Productivity Commission, which is independent of government, is investigating Australia's workplace laws.  It said in its draft report that Sunday double-time loadings should be brought into line with the Saturday rate of 150 per cent of an hourly wage for the retail and hospitality sectors only.

Unions are vowing to unleash a "fierce" campaign that they say will be bigger than the one they waged in 2007 against former Prime Minister John Howard's labour market deregulation policy of WorkChoices. Labor subsequently won the election that year and soon after repealed the policy and replaced it with the Fair Work Act.

Victoria's shadow treasurer Michael O'Brien highlighted the issue on Friday by posting a sign from a local cafe in his state electorate of Malvern highlighting the cost of paying workers double time and a half on the state's new controversial grand final eve public holiday.

"We have had to apply a 10% surcharge today to cover min wage being of over $50 an hour," the cafe's sign read.

Mr O'Brien said on Twitter: "'A rare Malvern cafe open today. Owner says "If we break even today I'll call that a win'".

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-links-penalty-rates-with-parents-affording-private-schools-20151005-gk1ehw.html#ixzz3nfxJTViP

Major gaffe by Shorten, that. A real private school charges like $30K+ per year, more if the kid is boarding.

Those on $60K a year are worrying about paying the rent.

Every place is different is it not Cods?.  Yes people should get penalty rates, if they work weekends or public holidays.  Here is something to think about.  I once had a job where the hours were 10 hour days, working four days a week.  In other words every week was a long weekend.   

Yes that scotch is very expensive is it not?.  Penalty rates can help you pay for it.  Not that I drink it.   

This is a real leftie conundrum. Lefties are typically very opposed to the mere existence of private schools (or private anything) and now one of their own is claiming that penalty rates makes private schools more affordable.

I can't wait to see the usual lefties try and weasel out of this one!

mariacostel wrote on Oct 5^th, 2015 at 6:09pm:



talking through your arse again maria? if by the left you mean the labor party, they have always provided funding for private schools

if by left you mean others posting on ozpol, they aren't opposed to the existance of private schools, they're opposed to using public funds

it's really not that hard to follow the bouncing ball Maria, all you have to do is shut up and listen

Bam wrote on Oct 5^th, 2015 at 7:46pm:


Are there ANY for-profit private schools? The Catholic System isnt and the private church schools are also not for profit. Before you head off to where I expect you to go, even no-for-profits run with a surplus as it is the only way to survive and these surpluses are ploughed back into better facilities and in most schools, fee assistance for the less well off plus scholarships.

Johnsmith wrote on Oct 5^th, 2015 at 6:59pm:


A cheap option is around 15K these days.

Still, not too cheap if you're on 60K.