PENALTY RATES

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:23): My question is, again, to the Premier. Why didn't the Premier consult with either Restaurant & Catering SA or the Australian Hotels Association about the impact of increasing penalty rates to 250 per cent for workers in the CBD before announcing the two new half-day public holidays which he announced yesterday? Restaurant & Catering SA CEO, Sally Neville, said that this 'disastrous deal uses our industry as a sacrificial lamb'. Ms Neville also said that the first she heard of the proposal was via a call from the Premier yesterday afternoon. She said, 'He was very nice and courteous, but that's not consultation.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (15:24): When two of the largest protagonists in what has been one of the longest-standing debates in South Australia come together and present to our government a proposition that not only will revitalise the city but will set a new set of social norms about how public holidays work in this state—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for MacKillop!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —which are consistent with our values, we will endorse it, and that is what we chose to do. This is a very Labor deal. It protects the vibrancy of the city, it protects small retailers—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Davenport!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It protects the suburbs and those workers in the suburbs that want to enjoy their family life, but it also does something else. It actually looks after working people by giving them something which has never been acknowledged before but which has become a social norm. That is, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, when everybody is out enjoying themselves, we are now providing for the recompense and the acknowledgement of the fact—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —of that disability that they are under and they should be compensated for it, and we support it. This will have benefits for the whole of the community—including the members, as I explained to Ms Neville when I spoke to her—including her many members in the CBD who have restaurants. An extraordinarily large proportion of the industry is contained within the CBD and the truth about this is that this is an initiative which is about revitalising our city and our state. That will lift activity—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —across the whole of the state with benefits for every enterprise, including the restaurant industry. I also had the opportunity to speak with representatives of the AHA, and they are—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —prepared to take a positive stance in relation to this measure. They, like the restaurant representatives, are looking forward to—I spoke to Mr Hurley.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: Before you made the decision?

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Davenport, you are warned for the second time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I spoke to Mr Hurley as soon as the decision had been made and I spoke to Ms Neville as soon as the decision had been made and before we had made public announcements about it.

Mrs Redmond: As soon as the decision had been made?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: In cabinet—I spoke to them as soon as we had deliberated in cabinet—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —and before we spoke to the broader community.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I gave a commitment to both of them that there will be draft legislation that will be produced, that will be consulted upon. I don't know whether those opposite support this or not. We heard the member for Adelaide suggest that she supported it. It would be good to know whether the rest of those opposite—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —support it—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —whether they have—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Did the member for Adelaide consult?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will sit down until we have some quiet.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I would be interested to know what the attitude of those opposite is. They, of course, have had up until this point a deregulatory stance on all shop trading hours. We think this is a sensible balance between the interests of workers and the interests of enterprises, and what it does reflect is our vision for a city and the broader Adelaide area. We want a vibrant city, we want suburbs that respect family life. We think this gets the balance right—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Which part of it are you unhappy with? The fact that we have reached agreement now and we have resolved this issue and it is no longer an issue for you? I think this has been a very substantial achievement.