Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has for the first time offered explicit government support for a cut to penalty rates, saying he agreed with the decision announced this month.
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Mr Turnbull had drawn criticism for repeatedly deflecting questions on his support for the Fair Work Commission's draft decision, which will see Sunday rates reduced from July.
Previously, Mr Turnbull had insisted it was not his government's decision, saying only he would respect the independent umpire.
But on Friday, a frustrated Mr Turnbull told radio 3AW interviewer Neil Mitchell that, "we do support it Neil".
"I have been very clear about that," he said.
"???The Fair Work Commission decided to back small business and we back small business," he said.
"It is important to remember this was not a decision from the government, it was an independent considered decision of the independent umpire of the Fair Work Commission, every member of which was appointed by a Labor government, three of who were appointed by Bill Shorten."
Mr Turnbull said he agreed with the commission's view that the reduction in Sunday rates would lead to more employment opportunities and said the government would make a submission to the Fair Work Commission on "some technical issues", but agreed with its plan to phase in the new rates "over two years, possibly longer, but not as long as five".
But Mr Shorten said Mr Turnbull had proven he was "willing to intervene" when decisions didn't "suit him" and said the Fair Work Commission had got the penalty rates issue wrong.
"When the Federal Court made a decision about native land title, Mr Turnbull says 'We have to change that'," Mr Shorten said. "When it was the truck drivers getting a pay rise, Mr Turnbull said 'we will interfere and pass a law on that'.
"When it was the professional firefighters in Victoria getting a pay rise, Mr Turnbull, during the election for politically expedient reasons said 'We will interfere with that decision'.
"He has the power to stop this mistaken decision, he chooses not to."
Labor has built its latest attacks on the Coalition and Mr Turnbull's leadership around the penalty rate decision, branding it as a decision of government, promising to make it an election issue, and claiming it was one of the factors which saw the Barnett government lose the recent WA state poll so decisively.
The Coalition has rejected that, claiming the WA result was hinged on mostly state issues.
The Liberal Party executive has launched its own campaign in an attempt to neuter Labor's attack, with federal director Tony Nutt releasing his own statement accusing Mr Shorten of "proving himself to be the weakest Labor leader in a generation".
"Since Bill Shorten became leader, unions have donated nearly $25 million to the Australian Labor Party - and now Shorten's allowing law-breaking unions to determine his workplace relations agenda," Mr Nutt said.
The Liberal Party has created an ad to combat Labor's message, claiming "Shorten's Labor will give union bosses what they want".
