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Federal Government Industrial Relations Policy

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About this Item
Subjects -  Federal State Relations; Industrial Relations; Trade Unions; Law and Legislation: Federal
Speakers - Primrose The Hon Peter
Business - Adjournment, Motion


    FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS POLICY
Page: 16110


    The Hon. PETER PRIMROSE [6.03 p.m.]: In yesterday's State budget the portfolio of the Minister for Industrial Relations included a record allocation of funds aimed squarely at ensuring that workers in New South Wales will have their rights and entitlements protected. This funding stops problems before they occur. That is the way we do things in New South Wales. In about a month's time we will see the way they do things at a Federal level when it comes to industrial relations. As I have said before in this place about the Federal Government's industrial relations legislation, it is more like a drunk in a bar, swinging at everything in sight, than legislation designed to deal with the complexities of Australian workplaces.

    Make no mistake: the legislation proposed by John Howard's Government has no other purpose than to crush the unions that represent Australian workers. While we are providing funding to ensure that New South Wales workers' wages, entitlements and working conditions are protected, the proposed Federal industrial relations legislation will impose penalties on workers who take action when they believe they are exposed to occupational health and safety risks in their workplaces. While this Government has announced new initiatives to increase the numbers of skilled apprentices, the Federal Government's new industrial relations laws leave union members open to heavy fines and other penalties if they organise on an industry-wide basis to increase training and apprentices, maintain industry working standards, or campaign for more jobs. In July 1998 Peter Reith, then Minister for Workplace Relations, told a Perth business lunch:

    Never forget the history of politics. And never forget which side we're on. We're on the side of making profits. We're on the side of people owning private capital.

    Nothing has changed. In February this year the current Federal Minister for Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, said that the sentiments behind the "Big Business Blueprint" are a "good summary of the government's intentions", while just last month Australian Business leader, Michael Chaney, complained:

    A fundamental flaw is that people have tried to use industrial relations policy as a tool to achieve not only productivity and growth in the economy, but fairness. An emphasis on fairness only leads to inefficiency.

    Unions like the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union recognise what they are dealing with in the proposed Federal industrial relations legislation. They know that it has absolutely nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with promoting the interests of big business. They know that under an industrial relations system dominated by this Federal Government, industrial rights have to be fought for and the only way that can be done effectively under the regime proposed by people like Peter Reith, Michael Chaney and Kevin Andrews is through a strong union.

    If John Howard is able to introduce his new legislation, stripping away the most basic of workers' rights, then it will only be through strong on-the-job activity that workers will be able to maintain wages and conditions to support themselves and their families. Only by belonging to a union will workers be treated with respect. John Howard is determined to exploit his new parliamentary muscle to fulfil the wish list of big business leaders like Michael Chaney and to change the face of Australia forever by imposing an American-style industrial relations system.

    While the Federal Government justifies these changes as based on the need for flexibility and efficiency, we know that this is legislation that will drive wages and conditions down for ordinary working people. Employers will have unrestricted rights to hire and fire their employees and will force as many workers as possible onto individual contracts, and we will see a focus on cost-cutting and sackings, instead of training and investment. This is legislation designed to promote a race to the bottom so that we are competing, not on skills, technology, training, innovation and investment, but on low wages, poor working conditions, and a lack of rights for Australia's working people. Unions have always been prepared to work co-operatively with employers who are prepared to recognise decent rights for workers and invest in training, technology and innovation.

    Motion agreed to.

    The House adjourned at 6.08 p.m. until Wednesday 26 May 2005 at 10.00 a.m.
    _______________


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