Labor positions as protector of penalty rates
As the election campaign hits a brief pause for Easter, Labor has positioned itself as the protector of penalty rates for those working during the holiday period. Photo: AAP
As the election campaign hits a brief pause for Easter, Labor has positioned itself as the protector of penalty rates for those working during the holiday period.
The government on Saturday announced it would enshrine penalty rates in law if re-elected.
That would prevent business groups, such as the Australian Retailers Association, from applying to the Fair Work Commission to cut the provisions from award agreements.
Industrial relations issues have worked in Labor’s favour during the campaign, with polling showing Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s short-lived pledge to force public servants back into the office fared poorly with voters.
With cost-of-living concerns at the forefront of the campaign, more polling has shown how parties treat penalty rates could be a factor in how people vote.
The Essential Research polling, commissioned by Australian Unions, found 70 per cent of respondents said protecting penalty rates for workers would be an issue voters take into consideration at the ballot box.
The poll also said 44 per cent of people were more likely to vote for a party that had policies in place to protect penalty rates, compared with 10 per cent being less likely to support such a party.
Retail worker Pauline Lethborg said the extra money from penalty rates went a long way.
“If we lose penalty rates, it doesn’t just affect the older workers, it’s the younger ones as well. That bonus money goes to pay rent and food,” she said.
“The cost of living these days is very hard, right across the board.
“It’s not like we’re being paid ￥100 an hour, a lot of retail workers are on ￥20 to ￥25 an hour … penalty rates is what gives them their supplement income.”
The Australian Retail Association earlier in 2025 submitted a proposal for some staff at large companies to opt out of penalty rates in exchange for a 25 per cent raise.
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Employer lobby Australian Industry Group has backed a similar push for the clerks and banking awards, arguing the rise in working from home has made it impractical for employees to log their hours and compounds the regulatory burden on employers.
Labor had filed a submission to the Fair Work Commission opposing the changes, while also calling for the coalition to provide clarity on its penalty rate stance.
Around three million workers would be affected if Labor succeeds in legislating to protect penalty rates.
Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt said employees deserved to be rewarded for giving up family time to work on weekends.
“We will always stand with workers to protect their wages so that we can help them deal with the pressures of today and get ahead in the future,” he said.
Opposition employment spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said in February penalty rates would not be cut under a future coalition government, dismissing Labor attacks as a scare campaign.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton spent Good Friday in Sydney, amid a lull in campaigning for the Easter period.
But electioneering will heat up again with early voting opening on Tuesday ahead of the May 3 poll.
Trumpet of Patriots launch
Clive Palmer and his Trumpet of Patriots party will officially launch their campaign with a focus on cost-of-living and bringing “common sense” policy to Canberra.
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Palmer has spent millions of dollars on federal election campaigns, with the May 3 poll no different as he seeks to gain more than one seat.
Since he vowed at a recent National Press Club address to bombard Australians with advertising, billboards and video advertisements have come thick and fast across the Australian physical and digital landscape.
Clive Palmer at a Trumpet of Patriots press conference in Canberra, April 17. Photo: AAP
The billionaire was successful in getting Victorian senator Ralph Babet elected to the upper house in 2022 as the United Australia Party’s only representative.
Only having one voice in federal parliament has not dampened his enthusiasm as the entire legion of Trumpet of Patriots candidates will be flown to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast for the campaign launch on Saturday.
It will feature speeches from Palmer, federal leader Suellen Wrightson and candidates from across the country.
American political commentator Tucker Carlson will also feature in the event via a feed.
The political party has committed to driving down cost of living through high-speed rail, allowing Australians to access superannuation for a housing deposit and capping interest rates at three per cent.
Other policies include establishing a department of government efficiency, akin to the one set up in the United States and cutting immigration to “sustainable” levels.
Part of the party’s immigration policy includes limiting foreign buyers from purchasing Australian homes and prime agricultural land.
Palmer is also calling for the abolition of net zero and Paris Agreement targets.
“Australia needs common-sense solutions, not professional politicians who are out of touch with the struggles of everyday Australians,” he said.
“The Trumpet of Patriots is committed to policies that put people first and restore fairness to the housing market.”
Speaking in Canberra on Thursday, Mr Palmer accused the major parties of staging the most boring election campaign he could recall.
He said his party would preference them last in the seats they held.
Transparency key
Voters in key electorates want stronger transparency measures and have overwhelmingly backed whistleblower protections, with a majority saying it’ll influence their decision.
Eight out of 10 voters in the affluent eastern Sydney seat of Wentworth, held by independent MP Allegra Spender, say whistleblowers made Australia a better place.
Nine in 10 said they supported stronger legal protections while four per cent opposed them, according to polling commissioned by the Whistleblower Justice Fund.
There was also overwhelming support for an authority to help people come forward and respondents said greater protections increased their trust in government.
Almost two-thirds said they were much more likely or more likely to vote for a candidate who supported whistleblower protections compared to four per cent who said they’d be less inclined.
Supporters were much more likely to vote for Spender, the Greens or Labor compared to the Liberals, although more than 40 per cent of Liberal supporters said they’d more likely cast their ballot if the candidate backed protections.
Support was also high in the regional Victorian seat of Wannon where former radio host turned independent candidate Alex Dyson is challenging Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan’s less than four per cent margin.
Seven out of 10 people in this area said whistleblowers made Australia a better place compared to 7.5 per cent who disagreed.
Support was higher for people who supported Dyson (85 per cent) and the lowest in the Liberal camp, where about half said they wanted stronger protections.
It’s a similar story for Caz Heise, who is challenging the Nationals’ slim margin in the NSW coastal seat of Cowper, where seven in 10 people said they’re more likely to support a candidate who backs stronger whistleblower protections.
Campaigner for the Whistleblower Justice Fund Tosca Lloyd said it was clear voters wanted tougher safeguards.
“Australia’s whistleblower laws are broken – and voters know it. Both the coalition and Labor have delayed action once in power, perpetuating a culture of secrecy and spending millions of dollars prosecuting whistleblowers,” she said.
The polls were conducted by uComms and had a weighted sample size of between 725 to 800 people in each electorate with about a 3.35 per cent margin of error.
