Australia Day: Parlamento restaurant closes to avoid penalty rates
One of Adelaide’s top restaurants — popular with politicians, celebrities and tourists — has closed its doors for Australia Day celebrations because of excessive penalty rates.
The sign on Parlamento in Adelaide yesterday.
This is despite North Terrace restaurant Parlamento being positioned opposite the Adelaide Casino, Parliament House, the Festival Centre and a short distance from the Adelaide Oval footbridge.
The more than 40,000 people attending an Australia Day concert and the Australia v India T20 cricket match at Adelaide Oval last night would have guaranteed the restaurant a full house.
But Parlamento co-owner Daniel Rattenni said take-home profit would have been only a “couple of hundred bucks” once dishwashers, baristas and kitchenhands were paid “professional” rates of at least $48 an hour excluding superannuation — more than double the standard hourly rate of $20 an hour.
“Even if we came out with a couple of hundred bucks (profit), what’s the point?” he said.
“Waiters use it as an income to get them through uni, it’s not a profession so why are they being paid as professionals.”
Parlamento also will close its doors on the Adelaide Cup, Easter Monday, Queen’s Birthday and Labour Day holidays. Diners will be charged a $5 a head levy on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Anzac Day to try to cover soaring wage bills, which have jumped by 250 per cent on public holidays.
Yesterday, on the restaurant’s front window, was a message to patrons that said: “Parlamento will be closed on Australia Day due to public holiday costs. Kitchenhand/baristas/dishwashers/waiters all on $48 per hour minimum, plus 9% super — on top. Nb ... ‘not complaining. just explaining’. Happy Australia Day.”
Mr Rattenni said he suspected that small restaurants that were open yesterday were either making a loss or paying their staff in cash.
South Australian Liberal opposition industrial relations spokesman Rob Lucas said many restaurants were passing on a surcharge to customers to stay open on public holidays but the option for many to close hurt South Australian workers.
“Given the struggles we’ve got in South Australia, anything like this is preventing employers from employing South Australians,’’ he said.
He said he was “waiting with bated breath” on the outcome of the Fair Work Commission case on Sunday penalty rates which would provide a clearer direction for small business in South Australia.
The Fair Work Commission is reviewing penalty rates in hospitality and retail awards as part of a legislated four-yearly review of modern awards.
Restaurant and Catering Australia said it hoped the review would lead to reform, as “more and more” restaurants refuse to trade on public holidays.
Source: The Australian, Meredith Booth, Michael Owen, 27th January 2016
