Abbott's penalty rates nightmare - Choppergate bites his ass

The Productivity Commission has come out with some loony tune recommendations to the Abbott gov; namely to take away penalty rates for people working in the hospitality and retail industries. Other areas of the economy would be left untouched. Not that that will matter for the union uprising. All workers would stick together on this. A thin end of the wedge. Who would be next?

It's typical Lieberal strategy. Go after the weak and bust them. Gain a beachfront and expand from there.

In another world of high polling for the gov Abbott may well go ahead with such a plan. However his gov isn't in such a world. In fact the polling is looking pretty well rusted on now after gaining office and barely having a single poll even equal with Labor let alone ahead.

We all saw tha anger over Choppergate. Would Abbott now dare to clobber the low paid casual workers who get fuck all anyway? Telling them the age of entitlement is over when his pollies are in the trough up to their eyeballs? I don't think even Abbott could be that politically stupid, but you never know with this nut. He's scored some spectacular own goals in office.

In any case his language seems decided reserved about taking up the proposals. For Abbott that is. BTW note the last sentence of the quote:

The timing of the Productivity Commission’s proposals could not have come at a worse time for the Abbott government. 

As the public bears down on the abuse of parliamentary allowances by Bronwyn Bishop and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss, Australia’s lowest-paid workers are being told they have to take a hit in the national interest. 

It’s a bad look and the Prime Minister knows it. 

Soon after the Productivity Commission announced its plan to cremate the weekend pay entitlements of bartenders and toilet cleaners, Mr Abbott decided to bite his tongue. 

He resisted supporting the Commission’s proposals, saying only that he wanted a “sensible debate”. 

He also said he would not renege on his promise at the 2013 election not to revive the WorkChoices program. 

“This government will make no changes to workplace relations in this term of parliament that are inconsistent with the commitments we took to the election,” he said. more

And there it is (my highlighting). Abbottspeak. What then has he planned if he gains a second term?

Abbott will be going to the election with no promise to leave workers alone. Has he forgotten one of the biggest reasons Howard lost the election? It was because of WorkChoices; an Orwellian title that chopped into people's take home pay. Abbott was one of the key architects of WorkChoices.

If penalty rates are such a burden for cafes & restaurants, why are they growing way faster than other businesses... pic.twitter.com/7eKuH5THLR

— Bernard Keane (@BernardKeane) April 3, 2015