Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AMENDMENT BILL 2011
Thursday, 2 June 2011 COUNCIL 1685
clear to us that this new arrangement would not result in
more confusion, particularly with the ability to declare
half-day public holidays. It is our view that it is
probably best to stick with full-day public holidays. It
seems that under the current arrangements the half-day
holidays can be declared in different localities and
different municipalities. It also means that if there is no
arrangement made by a local municipality, that
municipality or particular area will still have the default
position of Melbourne Cup Day being its holiday so
that workers will be entitled to have the full day off or
to be paid penalty rates if they are required to work on
that day.
I am not sure that the argument for the need for this bill
has been substantiated. It seems to me that the current
arrangements are working okay and that there is no
need for the changes. We will be interested to see what
answers will be provided in the committee stage of the
debate as to the way the implementation of the changes
would be handled in terms of half-day holidays. The
declaration of half-day holidays should be discouraged
and indeed not introduced. That is our greatest concern
with the bill.
Ms Pulford has also foreshadowed an amendment that
would be moved by Mr Somyurek. He has not spoken
yet, but Ms Pulford mentioned that he will be moving
an amendment to allow for the declaration of Easter
Sunday as a public holiday. The Greens will be
supporting that amendment. We look forward to the
minister’s answers to concerns about the bill that will
be raised in the committee stage.
Mr P. DAVIS (Eastern Victoria) — Acting
President, I am just trying to clarify with the last
speaker exactly what her position was after the long
contribution that she made — of 25 minutes or
something; I cannot quite work out how long it was, but
it was a long time. I am unclear as to whether she was
opposed or not opposed, or in support. Perhaps that will
be distilled when this matter comes to a vote on the
second reading. The previous speaker on behalf of the
Greens was Ms Pennicuik, for whom I have a high
regard and of whom I am very fond, and one of the
things that always fascinates me — we are talking
about the Melbourne Cup here, and there are fascinators
around the Melbourne Cup — is the fascination she has
with the magic pudding.
From her contribution we came to understand that the
Greens see no problem with imposing additional costs
on employers by declaring ad nauseam public holidays.
Ms Pennicuik wants public holidays for this and public
holidays for that, and at least one additional public
holiday so there is one in every month. What would the
cost of that be to the community, I wonder? Anyway,
she can answer that at another time.
Ms Pennicuik interjected.
Mr P. DAVIS — I think Ms Pennicuik’s answer
was that it would de-stress the society and we would all
feel better for it. That was about the summary I got of
it. I should turn back to the bill.
Ms Pennicuik interjected.
Mr P. DAVIS — I did. I was really interested in
Ms Pennicuik’s suggestion that we have a barbecue,
and I wanted to know what it was she was proposing to
put on the barbecue.
Ms Pennicuik — Vegieburgers.
Mr P. DAVIS — And I thought ‘vegieburgers’.
That is the iconic Australian day: to have a Melbourne
Cup Day holiday and to have a barbecue of
vegieburgers and tofu — fantastic!
This bill is a very important bill for rural communities
in particular. It is a pity that those members who have
spoken in this debate so far have not demonstrated an
empathy for those small rural communities, and I will
go to that in my contribution.
Ms Pennicuik — I am empathetic with the workers.
Mr P. DAVIS — I thank Ms Pennicuik for her
interjection.
Ms Pennicuik interjected.
Mr P. DAVIS — I was just considering whether or
not it was a good thing for Hansard to pick it up.
Ms Pennicuik is saying she is empathetic with the
workers, and that is fine — as are we all, because I
think we are all workers. When Ms Pennicuik was
making her contribution she was talking about 19-hour
days and I was thinking that she was talking about
members of Parliament. We are workers, are we not? I
think we are. Perhaps in her log of claims for members
of Parliament she may think about that.
On the bill, this is a small bill of only three pages and
five clauses. It is very significant to small, dispersed
rural municipalities. It is about self-determination; it is
about devolving decision making. Rather than the elite
corporatist view that the ALP and the Greens have,
which is to control every waking moment of
everybody’s day in society, the Liberal Party and The
Nationals — the coalition in this state — believe that
people should be able to make their own choices and
their own decisions about what is best for them as