Labor senator Doug Cameron has lamented the gall of highly-paid politicians who want to strip penalty rates from low-paid workers.
Senator Cameron was debating a private bill introduced by Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm, which would allow small business to scrap penalty rates unless they applied to in addition to normal hours.
It would require higher rates to be paid only if weekend work was on top of a normal 38-hour week, or if hours worked were in addition to a 10-hour day or if it's a public holiday.
Senator Cameron scolded politicians on $200,000 salaries - such as Senator Leyonhjelm - who thought they could tell lower-paid Australians they could survive without penalty rates.
"I find that absolutely galling," he told parliament on Thursday.
"Many of the politicians here would not have a clue what it's like to battle to put food on the table."
But Senator Leyonhjelm argued expensive penalty rates stop people getting jobs in the first place.
"There is nothing wrong in seeking to improve the terms and conditions for those with a job, but they should not come at the expense of those who don't have one," he said.
For many, working on weekends or outside normal business hours was an opportunity not a burden.
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