Election 2016: Greens canned for failure to take fight to IR umpire

The Greens were last night under fire over their push to legislate to entrench weekend penalty rates.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale speaks Italian at a cafe in Adelaide yesterday.

The Greens were last night under fire over their push to legislate to entrench weekend penalty rates after it emerged they had not made a submission to the Fair Work Commission inquiry on the issue.

Labor also seized on comments three years ago to The Australian by Tasmanian Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson who ­described penalty rates as part of a “white Anglo-Saxon cultural’’ ­inheritance no longer relevant for many workers.

The Australian Workers Union launched an online meme attacking Senator Whish-Wilson as a wealthy winery owner. “The ­previous comments made by Senator Peter Whish Wilson reek of hypocrisy,’’ AWU national ­secretary Scott McDine said .

Senator Whish-Wilson ­accused Labor of “muckraking” and selectively quoting from a ­single three year-old news article.

“I’m proud to be in the party that is legislating to protect penalty rates. Fair reward for weekend work is a fundamental social ­contract,’’ he said. “In my view the conversation we need to have on this issue is why some small businesses aren’t doing enough to pass the additional cost on consumers.

“Consumer law was recently changed to make it easier for the hospitality sector to charge weekend surcharges but from my conversations around Tasmania not everyone is aware of this. If it comes down to charging a little bit more for your breakfast and coffee or cutting wages we need to err on charging more every time.’’

Asked yesterday whether the Greens had made submissions to the FWC which is assessing the ­future of Sunday penalty rates, leader Richard Di Natale said: “I’ll have to get back to you on that’’.

Labor’s employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor pounced as Greens industrial relations spokesman Adam Bandt confirmed the party had not made a submission to the FWC.

“How on earth can the Greens claim they are committed to protecting penalty rates? If they were so committed to defending ­penalty rates, then they would have made a submission to the Commission,’’ Mr O’Connor said.

There was also no mention of penalty rates in their employment and workplace relations platform.

“This is despite the Greens ­political party saying they have a clear and unequivocal position when it comes to protecting penalty rates,’’ Mr O’Connor said.

Mr Bandt said it was unusual for political parties to be making submissions to the FWC.

“We suspect Labor has made a submission as a smoke and mirrors exercise, so that during the election they can say they are doing something to protect weekend penalty rates, when in reality they will do nothing should penalty rates be cut,’’ Mr Bandt said.

“Our role in parliament is to set the laws that define the parameters for the Fair Work Commission to complete its work.

“Current legislation says that the Fair Work Commission must consider that people should get paid more on weekends than other days, but it does not protect existing higher rates for Sundays.”

Senator Di Natale attacked Bill Shorten’s position that legislation to protect penalties would set a precedent allowing a ­Liberal government to abolish them, saying if that logic was followed parties would never legislate for anything.