Scott Morrison has accused Labor of engaging in “another scare campaign” as he rebuffed claims employees would be worse off under his planned workplace reforms.
The Prime Minister said at the weekend a re-elected Coalition government would revive its abandoned omnibus industrial relations bill.
Labor seized on his comments, claiming the return of the bill would mean changes to the Better Off Overall Test for workplace agreements, paving the way for pay cuts.
The Morrison government in 2020 sought to suspend the test, allowing the industrial tribunal to approve pay deals for employers hit by the Covid-19 pandemic which did not leave workers better off overall.
The provision was ditched in February 2021 and the government later abandoned most of the bill after a clash with unions, the opposition and other MPs.
Mr Morrison said on Saturday the bill was “absolutely” still his government’s policy and that it would be introduced to parliament if he is successful at the May 21 poll.
Labor’s Tony Burke claimed the laws would allow for the agreements that cut the pay and conditions of workers.
“We have a situation where everything’s been going up, except for wages, and the government now says they want to bring back legislation which had wage cuts written all over it,” he said.
“If he succeeds, everything from shift allowances to penalty rates is on the chopping block.”
Attorney-General Michaelia Cash responded to the criticism by issuing a statement which said: “The Morrison government is not changing the Better Off Overall Test – full stop.”
Mr Morrison on Wednesday said there would be “no major changes” to the test.
“It’s about simplification and ensuring that there’s greater flexibility to ensure that these companies can work with what is an often complex industrial relations system, which cost jobs, higher wages and at a cost to the Australian economy,” he told reporters in South Australia.
“I’m not surprised that there’s another scare campaign from Labor – Labor is running a scare campaign,” he said.
He said the pandemic had passed and Australia was no longer in an "economic emergency environment" where the changes would be needed,
Both sides of politics have used scare tactics based on contested evidence in the second week of the election campaign, with Labor focusing on pensioners and Medicare and the Coalition homing in on electricity prices.
The back-and-forth over industrial relations reform comes as Mr Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese prepare to face off in the first televised leaders debate of the campaign.
Speaking to reporters in the marginal SA seat of Boothby on Wednesday, Mr Morrison flagged he would use the debate to continue his framing of the election as a “choice” between the stability of the Coalition and Labor as the supposed unknown.
He took a dig at his opponent by suggesting he wouldn’t have to prepare before the event, unlike Mr Albanese.
“My approach is not to lock myself away in rooms before having these things. You know, it‘s look … I think tonight is a really good opportunity for people to evaluate the choice,” he said.
“And so tonight, I look forward to that discussion. I hope it will be a civil discussion. I’m looking forward to engaging with the people who are in the audience and answering their questions in a positive way.”
