It looks like penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors, a crippling blow to these industries, may be in for the chop and rightly so.

Of causen he unions would like us to believe that these rates don't effect this sector, yea right, pull the other one.

These are now seven day industries and weekends are now very busy trading days. Combine this with the relentless push from the large retailers and the reality is that we either drop these rates, or at least greatly reduce them, or risk loosing many in these industries, especially small players.

We must remember that people choose to work in retail and hospitality, the industries don't choose people.

When consumer confidence is low the first casualties are luxuries and retail. When you pay 5 $ for coffee it is something you can go without, and last years shirt will do another year.
For those that can not make ends meet can go back to 5 day trading, that way you will not have any staff to worry about.
The only reason you have staff in hospitality on weekends is because of penalty rates.
Hospitality is a very fragile business and over represented. Coffee shops and bakeries are not essential to daily living, to eliminate penalty rates would be a very hard grind, and unachievable in this decade.
What needs more so than trying to take someone’s penalty rates is to have regulations on a non essential service like hospitality.
The minimum wage has increases because that is deemed to be the minimum requirement of life for that particular age group. Weekend trading is up to you and is not compulsory. If weekend trading was compulsory you would have a case.
It would be up to you to lobby govt; and have weekend trading listed as compulsory trading days.

Another attack on the Poor way to go

Isn't it funny how everyone was happy before Julia brought out the big stick. Now many mums are finding it tough as they are too expensive to hire on weekends and more and more classy resaurants/caffees are closing on Sunday's.

Surely that tells us something?

BTW, my staff get paid well above award rates but they are exceptional workers. They have to be because I don't employ duds and if I do happen to they don't last with me.

I also see there is a long over due review of the un fair dismissal laws whereby it is proposed that an employee can't sue if found to be dishonest or has gone slack. Hurar I say!

The sooner we can make dinosaurs extinct again the better.

Problem with the said industries is there are a lot cheat's i.e
cash in hand this is biggest problem how can an honest business compete
Also how many American companies Coffee shops / fast food restaurants are doing doggy tax ?
It's not the Poor that should be further punished, it is time the Industry took control themselves to shut down this crap but then the Big boys are probably paying kickbacks

When the footy grand finals are played on a weekday and schools, government offices, parliament and financial institutions are open on the weekend then we might be able to start talking.