Great speech by Senator Scott Ludlam welcoming Tony Abbott to WA for the by-election.
Simply one of the finest speeches from a MP 'Telling how it is!" in years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtqrfiEV8Gs

No doubt Scott is one of Australia's finest MP's.

I am not a fan of utube but that was certainly enlightening and very polite.

nothing like having your hatreds confirmed Paul.

Runner, hatred is from the religious bigots and conservative politicians.
A beautiful speech by Scott, could only be delivered by a GREEN.
How could WA not return Scott to the Senate? 344,000 hits with 100,000 added this afternoon. Fantastic! Gone viral Runner

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/greens-senator-scott-ludlams-blunt-speech-to-an-almost-empty-room-goes-viral-20140306-348zx.html

The best I can do for the Mad Monk is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRn-Makj6t4

Tony is also viral. Lets hope we find a cure for him.

I'm a chef: I usually get two consecutive days off a week but they usually don't fall on Saturdays or Sundays: I work most weekends and receive the appropriate penalty loading.

I think it is reasonable: I don't mind missing out on leisurely weekends as long as I get decent amount of leisure time. But weekends are when all the nine-to-fivers go out for their leisure, so I have to work at least twice as hard on a weekend for only time and a quarter or time and a half pay. If I'm working twice as hard don't I deserve double time? I suspect a lot of cafes and restaurants make more profit on weekends - even with increased labour costs - than they do on weekdays.

I think the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the available evidence is that there is a direct correlation betwixt paying penalty rates and profitability: obviously the best way for restaurants to improve their profitability is to pay their workers penalty rates all the time XP.

Or maybe not.

But when a business enjoys increased profits just because it is a Saturday and there are more people out enjoying their weekends, why shouldn't the employees take a share of that profit? After all, it is their labour that generates the profit.

Where is the harm in sharing the profits with your workers? What harm will befall society if successful businesses pay their workers a fair wage for the duties performed? Fat Cats won't get any fatter than they already are? Well, my heart does bleed for the poor malnourished Gina Rinehart's of this world, but maybe it would better to nourish up the alley cats before we pay attention to the fat, contented toms.

Cheers,

Tony

Those "obscene" penalty rates are actually entitlements as negotiated and agreed with employers some time ago.

They are there to compensate for the loss of traditional family time (remember that?) during a standard working week.

Weekend and 24 hour trading was not introduced due to customer demand but because of the greed for more profit and the suggestion that the removal of such rates will result in more employment is ridiculous.

All it is about is more profit for the employer. Productivity is doing more with less - in this case, wages.

If penalty rates go, why not public holidays too?

Do we really want a society of a low paid underclass relying on tips to survive?