A six-year casual worker in Port Douglas believes the Fair Work Commission’s ruling to cut Sunday and public holiday penalty rates is fair.

Lexie Gray, a supervisor at On The Inlet Seafood Restaurant, said during her six years as a casual worker she raised three kids and bought a house.

“I think we are paid well here in Port and overall the wages are pretty good in this part of the world. If you are working an average of 40 hours per week, you can survive quite easily.

“The hourly rate is pretty good here compared to other parts of the world. It’s a lot lower in North America and there is a heavy reliance on tips,” she said.

The Fair Work Commission ruled:

• Sunday pay rates for full-time and part-time hospitality workers will be cut from 175 per cent of their standard wage to 150 per cent.
  
  
• In retail, Sunday wages will be reduced from 200 per cent of the standard rate to 150 per cent for full-time and part-time staff.
  
  
• Sunday penalty cuts: For fast-food workers, Sunday pay for some full-time and part-time employees — classed as "level one" workers — will be cut from 150 per cent to 125 per cent.

Well known Port Douglas business owner Danny Gray said “this is good for the small business operator as they’ll have more money to pay staff.”

But hospitality worker Paul said he did not like the change, but said there is nothing that can be done. “It is what it is,” he said.

The key points of the ruling:

• Workers will continue to receive penalties but they will be reduced
  
  
• Retailers say the decision means they can extend opening hours
  
  
• Unions say low-paid workers will struggle to make ends meet

The McKell Institute said in its analysis that it is estimated that retail and hospitality workers in rural Australia would lose between $370 million and $1.55 billion each year, depending on the extent of the cut to penalty rates and the level of local ownership of the retail stores.

It is estimated that this will reduce disposable income for spending in regional areas by between $174.6 million and $748.3 million, they said.

The McKell Institute is an independent, not-for-profit, public policy institute dedicated to developing practical policy ideas and contributing to public debate.

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IT'S PANCAKE DAY TODAY!

IT’S the one day a year where it’s perfectly acceptable to eat nothing but pancakes and crépes.

Pancake Day arrives on Tuesday 28th February and it’s serious business, from the recipe, to the flipping technique, to the topping. So we’re here to guide you through this treacherous process and make sure every pancake is flippin’ great (pun intended).

Get your pancake fix at Taste on Macrossan this Tuesday with their exclusive Pancake Day special. Indulge in their delicious Daintree Stacker, topped with local fruit and Daintree vanilla syrup, paired with a local Skybury tea or coffee for only $16!

If you intend on making your own pancakes this Tuesday, make sure you do it properly with a Crépe pan from Port Douglas Hospitality Supplies. The perfect non-stick, low brim crépe pan is designed to make the perfect pancake every time. For only $19.95 for a 260mm crépe pan, you can’t really go wrong!

Whether you’re a sweet of savoury kind of person, we have a simple recipe for you, perfect for the topping of your choice:

300g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
500ml milk
2 eggs
60g butter, melted

Love pancakes? Celebrate Pancake Day in Bazaar QT Port Douglas with even more pancakes than usual. Will you have them sweet or sour? Decorate these versatile treats with all your favourite toppings like Nutella, bananas, strawberries, zesty lemon and crispy bacon with maple syrup. Open from 6.30am – 10.30am.

4 Fun Facts about Pancakes

1. Pancake Day itself came about as a way to use up the ingredients in the pantry before the 40 days of fasting for Lent, in the run up to Easter.

2. The most tosses of a pancake in 60 seconds was achieved by Australian celebrity chef Brad Jolly, completing a grand total of 140 flips in 60 seconds back in 2012.

3. In 2012, a Melbourne chef won the World Record for the Largest Stack of Pancakes (76cms) however this was beaten by two British chef’s in 2016 (101.8cms).

4. The largest pancake ever made was in 1994, in the UK. Measuring 15.01 metres in diameter and 1 inch thick, the pancake weighed almost 3 tonnes!