Mr EDE - 1995-08-22
In his travels around the Territory and when he is talking to public servants, does the Chief Minister feel embarrassment considering the fact that, over the last 4 years, he and his ministers, and indeed myself, have all had pay increases of around 35%, whilst backbenchers have had a 40% pay rise over the same period, yet his government is offering public servants an increase of 3% this year? That is less than the projected inflation rate for the year.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I would have to say that I would not know whether or not I have had an increase ...
Mr Ede: I suppose it is great to be Chief Minister.
Mr STONE: It is not like that at all. I do not get a pay slip like you ...
Mr Bailey: It is so much that you do not even know how much it is.
Mr Ede: A wonderful position to be in.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: It is not a matter of a wonderful position to be in, but probably people would be surprised to know that the Leader of the Opposition is paid on the same basis as a minister. Whether he actually does the same amount of work is another matter, of course.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr Coulter: Because he is lazy.
Mr STONE: Because he is lazy and we have seen it ...
Mr Bell: You guys have 10 times the number of staff supporting you, yet you say we are lazy.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Bailey: What a hypocrite.
Mr STONE: A point of order Mr Speaker! I will not be called a `hypocrite', particularly by the likes of the member for Wanguri.
Mr SPEAKER: I ask the member for Wanguri to withdraw the word `hypocrite'.
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Mr BAILEY: I withdraw, Mr Speaker, but I object to being repeatedly called `lazy' by someone who applies double standards consistently.
Mr STONE: He is very sensitive, Mr Speaker.
Mr Bailey: Sensitive! You have 10 times the number of staff, yet you call us lazy.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I will pass the question to the Minister for Public Employment because ...
Mr Ede: Because he does not feel embarrassed.
Mr STONE: No, he does not feel embarrassed. He has some news that I think may would be of interest to Territorians. He can put the matter into context in terms of what is being paid nationally, both federally and in other states and territories. After all, what we are involved in here is a national effort being driven by a government that is identified with the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Speaker, I defer to the minister.
Mr FINCH (Public Employment): Mr Speaker, over the last week, we have had a fair amount of hype from the opposition about the ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations. It has failed to acknowledge the various attractions in the current package that is being negotiated, and the number of unions and Northern Territory Public Service employees who think that it is a good offer. It is focusing on PAWA and the teachers' union. That is no surprise to this side of the House. I am not talking about the unions as a whole, but those 2 unions still have the same players who were involved in the last round of negotiations. They could be called industrial dinosaurs, because they are still living in the Dark Ages and taking their members down a very unproductive trail.
We will know what we have by 4 pm tomorrow, which is the deadline for public servants to take advantage of not only the 7% that is being offered but all the other very attractive conditions, such as additional flexibility on long service leave, time off in lieu of overtime, if the employee chooses that option, maternity and paternity leave improvements, and more flexible part-time arrangements which I imagine would suit teachers more than public servants in any other category.
Then we come to the restructuring of the physical grades. Those are the blue-collar workers that we have heard members opposite bleating about over the last week, as though PAWA is the only area in which blue-collar workers are to be found. Let me enlighten members. There are far more blue-collar workers in the CPSU and the Miscos than those few in PAWA, and they are signing the agreement. They see the attraction of the restructuring of the base grades. They are the lower paid workers across the public service, people for whom we have an enormous amount of support. Improved conditions and benefits for them include a $16 a week minimum increase and restructuring which will give many of them an improved situation.
Who remains of our 15 000 public servants then? Surprise, surprise, the teachers union and the PAWA unions. They represent about 2500 of our 15 000 employees. Obviously, the PAWA unions are intent on providing as much disruption as they can to the community.
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However, because we are dealing with an integrated public service across the board, as we should do, PAWA employees are no longer out on a limb. Employees are able to transfer from one section of the public service to another. Why should we treat one group better than another? Of course, we should not. The point that is very obvious to most union members and most public service employees is that they should be treated equally by this government, and they will be.
We are talking about a deadline of 4 pm tomorrow if the increase is to be paid for the current pay period. At the outside, 15% to 20% will not be signed up. Not only will they be deferring their increases and the conditions that accompany them until a later date but also, because next year's pay rise will be paid only on the anniversary of the date on which this agreement is signed, in effect the action of the unions will defer payment of the 7% increase. That can be placed at the door of a handful of unionists. The same names come up time and again. I am aware that their membership is pretty sick of these unionists taking them down one-way trails through the use of misinformation, as we heard from the Minister for Power and Water and the Minister for Education and Training. Over the last week, those ministers have been able to demonstrate some of the misinformation that has been circulated. I am glad to say that the great majority of Territory public servants ...
Mr Ede: But you still accept 35%.
Mr FINCH: We will come to that.
The great majority of Territory public servants are satisfied with the offer that has been made to them. They recognise the realities. The pay rises that have been offered can be funded without loss of jobs, and they are keen to get on with their work.
As for pay rises for parliamentarians, the Leader of the Opposition is only too happy to sit back on the coat-tails of the federal parliament, which is the benchmark for our pay rises. Federal parliamentarians' pay rises are linked to the federal public service. Thus, they are linked into a similar system of negotiation.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr FINCH: Of course, it is. If you look at it globally, what is being offered here is in step with the rest of the country, as I said the other day, with the exception of Hon Bob Carr's singling out of New South Wales teachers recently because he wanted to secure their votes. That is the only reason why they received special treatment. How do you reckon the rest of the workers in New South Wales feel about that? We do not intend to treat members of the Northern Territory Public Service differently in different areas. Our direction is to be fair and reasonable across the board. The nonsense raised about parliamentarians' pay rises is exactly that. The Leader of the Opposition is only too pleased. On an hourly basis, he is a mile in front of anyone on this side of the House.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I would have to say that I would not know whether or not I have had an increase ...
Mr Ede: I suppose it is great to be Chief Minister.
Mr STONE: It is not like that at all. I do not get a pay slip like you ...
Mr Bailey: It is so much that you do not even know how much it is.
Mr Ede: A wonderful position to be in.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: It is not a matter of a wonderful position to be in, but probably people would be surprised to know that the Leader of the Opposition is paid on the same basis as a minister. Whether he actually does the same amount of work is another matter, of course.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr Coulter: Because he is lazy.
Mr STONE: Because he is lazy and we have seen it ...
Mr Bell: You guys have 10 times the number of staff supporting you, yet you say we are lazy.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Bailey: What a hypocrite.
Mr STONE: A point of order Mr Speaker! I will not be called a `hypocrite', particularly by the likes of the member for Wanguri.
Mr SPEAKER: I ask the member for Wanguri to withdraw the word `hypocrite'.
Page 780
Mr BAILEY: I withdraw, Mr Speaker, but I object to being repeatedly called `lazy' by someone who applies double standards consistently.
Mr STONE: He is very sensitive, Mr Speaker.
Mr Bailey: Sensitive! You have 10 times the number of staff, yet you call us lazy.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I will pass the question to the Minister for Public Employment because ...
Mr Ede: Because he does not feel embarrassed.
Mr STONE: No, he does not feel embarrassed. He has some news that I think may would be of interest to Territorians. He can put the matter into context in terms of what is being paid nationally, both federally and in other states and territories. After all, what we are involved in here is a national effort being driven by a government that is identified with the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Speaker, I defer to the minister.
Mr FINCH (Public Employment): Mr Speaker, over the last week, we have had a fair amount of hype from the opposition about the ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations. It has failed to acknowledge the various attractions in the current package that is being negotiated, and the number of unions and Northern Territory Public Service employees who think that it is a good offer. It is focusing on PAWA and the teachers' union. That is no surprise to this side of the House. I am not talking about the unions as a whole, but those 2 unions still have the same players who were involved in the last round of negotiations. They could be called industrial dinosaurs, because they are still living in the Dark Ages and taking their members down a very unproductive trail.
We will know what we have by 4 pm tomorrow, which is the deadline for public servants to take advantage of not only the 7% that is being offered but all the other very attractive conditions, such as additional flexibility on long service leave, time off in lieu of overtime, if the employee chooses that option, maternity and paternity leave improvements, and more flexible part-time arrangements which I imagine would suit teachers more than public servants in any other category.
Then we come to the restructuring of the physical grades. Those are the blue-collar workers that we have heard members opposite bleating about over the last week, as though PAWA is the only area in which blue-collar workers are to be found. Let me enlighten members. There are far more blue-collar workers in the CPSU and the Miscos than those few in PAWA, and they are signing the agreement. They see the attraction of the restructuring of the base grades. They are the lower paid workers across the public service, people for whom we have an enormous amount of support. Improved conditions and benefits for them include a $16 a week minimum increase and restructuring which will give many of them an improved situation.
Who remains of our 15 000 public servants then? Surprise, surprise, the teachers union and the PAWA unions. They represent about 2500 of our 15 000 employees. Obviously, the PAWA unions are intent on providing as much disruption as they can to the community.
Page 781
However, because we are dealing with an integrated public service across the board, as we should do, PAWA employees are no longer out on a limb. Employees are able to transfer from one section of the public service to another. Why should we treat one group better than another? Of course, we should not. The point that is very obvious to most union members and most public service employees is that they should be treated equally by this government, and they will be.
We are talking about a deadline of 4 pm tomorrow if the increase is to be paid for the current pay period. At the outside, 15% to 20% will not be signed up. Not only will they be deferring their increases and the conditions that accompany them until a later date but also, because next year's pay rise will be paid only on the anniversary of the date on which this agreement is signed, in effect the action of the unions will defer payment of the 7% increase. That can be placed at the door of a handful of unionists. The same names come up time and again. I am aware that their membership is pretty sick of these unionists taking them down one-way trails through the use of misinformation, as we heard from the Minister for Power and Water and the Minister for Education and Training. Over the last week, those ministers have been able to demonstrate some of the misinformation that has been circulated. I am glad to say that the great majority of Territory public servants ...
Mr Ede: But you still accept 35%.
Mr FINCH: We will come to that.
The great majority of Territory public servants are satisfied with the offer that has been made to them. They recognise the realities. The pay rises that have been offered can be funded without loss of jobs, and they are keen to get on with their work.
As for pay rises for parliamentarians, the Leader of the Opposition is only too happy to sit back on the coat-tails of the federal parliament, which is the benchmark for our pay rises. Federal parliamentarians' pay rises are linked to the federal public service. Thus, they are linked into a similar system of negotiation.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr FINCH: Of course, it is. If you look at it globally, what is being offered here is in step with the rest of the country, as I said the other day, with the exception of Hon Bob Carr's singling out of New South Wales teachers recently because he wanted to secure their votes. That is the only reason why they received special treatment. How do you reckon the rest of the workers in New South Wales feel about that? We do not intend to treat members of the Northern Territory Public Service differently in different areas. Our direction is to be fair and reasonable across the board. The nonsense raised about parliamentarians' pay rises is exactly that. The Leader of the Opposition is only too pleased. On an hourly basis, he is a mile in front of anyone on this side of the House.
Page 782
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016