NICK
XENOPHON
PARTY
CONFIRMS
IT WANTS
TO SEE
CUTS TO
PENALTY
RATES
21 June 2016
SA
Unions
says the
Nick
Xenophon
Party
has this
morning
been
caught
out on
penalty
rates -
it
believes
people
earn too
much on
weekends
and that
weekend
penalty
rates
should
be cut.
State
Secretary,
Joe
Szakacs
says
Senate
candidate
and
campaign
manager
Stirling
Griff,
told ABC
radio
this
morning
that he
still
believes
weekend
penalty
rates
are too
high.
"He
trotted
out the
same old
- and
discredited
line -
that if
only
wages
were
lower,
there
would be
more
jobs."
"All
evidence
shoes
this
does not
happen
when
people's
wages
are cut.
It is a
tired
old line
from
another
out of
touch
Xenophon
Party
candidate."
When
asked if
penalty
rates
should
be cut,
Mr Griff
said,
"'It
would be
a good
outcome
for
retailers,
yes'."
Mr
Szakacs
says the
problem
with the
Nick
Xenophon
Party is
that you
don't
know
what you
are
going to
get.
"Mr
Griff
still
firmly
believes
that
people
working
weekends
should
get a
pay
cut."
"In
fact, he
has
previously
argued
that
there
should
be NO
penalty
rates at
all."
"And
when
asked if
the Nick
Xenophon
Party
would
support
legislation
to cut
penalty
rates on
Sundays
for
small
business
if it
were
introduced
by the
Coalition,
Mr Griff
said:`we
would
have to
consider
it'."
"What's
absolutely
clear is
that if
the
Liberals
go after
penalty
rates
through
legislation,
the Nick
Xenophon
Party
will be
lockstep
in this
attack
on
people's
pay
packets."
"All
this on
top of a
strong
track
record
from
Nick
Xenophon
and his
attempts
to cut
take
home pay
for
working
people."
"It was
just a
couple
of years
ago that
Senator
Xenophon
introduced
laws to
Parliament
to cut
weekend
pay
rates."
"South
Australians
who
believe
Senator
Xenophon
stands
up for
battlers
should
remember
what he
tried to
do to
your pay
packets,
and what
he will
do in
the
future
if he is
given
the
chance."