Video shows One Nation leader Pauline Hanson waiting for penalty rates to be scrapped entirely

VIDEO has emerged of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson calling for penalty rates to be scrapped entirely, even as she now tries to distance herself from the decision to reduce Sunday pay rates.

VIDEO has emerged of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson calling for penalty rates to be scrapped entirely, even as she now tries to distance her the decision to reduce Sunday pay rates.

Following the Fair Work Commission’s decision last week to reduce Sunday penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers, Senator Hanson said she “couldn’t believe” the number of messages she received about it, but any suggestion she played a role was a “Labor lie”.

“I believe in a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay,” she said a post to social media last week.

“I can understand small businesses are doing it hard, but believe me, I had nothing to do with the Fair Work Commission, I had nothing to do with cutting wages back.”

But footage has emerged of Senator Hanson in June 2014 — prior to her election — calling for penalty rates to be abolished entirely.

“Right across the board, get rid of the penalty rates,” she said in an interview with Sunrise.

“I’d also say get rid of the 17.5 per cent loading and get rid of payroll tax hurting businesses because they are gearing up to bring in workers from overseas who will be competing for Australian jobs and that’s when you’ll notice a big change in our country.”

She said in the interview, “You can’t survive in today’s climate paying penalty rates”.

Senator Hanson’s office was contacted yesterday and asked to clarify what her current position on penalty rates was, but declined to comment.

Queensland Labor Senator Murray Watt said Senator Hanson needed to come clean on where she stood.

“Pauline Hanson has said publicly that she opposes penalty rates all together, right across the board, I hope her positions’s changed,” Senator Watt said.

“The issue is whether she will back Labor’s bill to stop penalty rates being cut now and in the future.

“It would be a tragedy for Queensland battlers if the price of getting a preference deal with the Liberals is selling out workers and voting for penalty rates.”

The decision to cut penalty rates was made by the Fair Work Commission and does not require a vote of parliament to pass, but Labor has flagged legislation to prevent the reduction.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused Opposition leader Bill Shorten of hypocrisy on penalty rates after he said last year he would accept the independent FWC’s position.

“Bill Shorten is responsible for the Fair Work Commission looking at penalty rates. That was his decision when he was a minister,” he said.

Meanwhile the CFMEU has promised to pit “every ounce of its political and industrial ­capacity” against the Turnbull Government after it supported the Fair Work Commission’s decision to cut Sunday penalty rates.