Mr BURKE - 2005-06-30
This week is a week of national action against the divisive industrial relations reforms being promoted by Kevin Andrews and the Liberals in Canberra. I note the complete silence and lack of presence of Mr Tollner and Senator Scullion in protecting Northern Territory workers in this matter. Can you advise the House and the Northern Territory of the proposed changes to industrial relations?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. I am delighted to advise him, and the House, of this government’s position in relation to Howard’s industrial relations reform agenda. The new member for Brennan comes to this House well steeped in the fine traditions of unions and industrial relations as a practitioner at the coal face. It is something this Assembly can never have too much of - people with hard-nosed industrial relations expertise out there. I look forward to the contributions the member for Brennan will make in this forthcoming parliament.
We are totally opposed to the reforms proposed by the federal Liberal and National Party government. In many ways, this is little Johnny’s swan song. He has hated unions all his political career. He has been restrained in the past either by prime ministers above him …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 52 states quite clearly that members of other parliaments should be referred to with respect, and that unbecoming or offensive words should not be used against any member of any Assembly …
Mr STIRLING: I will withdraw ‘little Johnny’ if that is the offensive remark. I withdraw ‘little Johnny’.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr STIRLING: Prime Minister ‘little Johnny’. At least we know who we are talking about.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, resume your seat! I would ask you to withdraw the term ‘little Johnny’, and if you would replace it with Prime Minister.
Mr STIRLING: Absolutely. Prime Minister Howard has long hated unions. All his life, all his political career, he has wanted to take unions on, and he thinks he now has the opportunity, from tomorrow, with a majority in the Senate, to do exactly what he wishes.
I have to tell the opposition, who were not there at lunch time, that there were a few more than a few thousand workers out in the streets of Darwin at lunch time – heralded, waved at, congratulated, applauded by people standing on the streets – as they marched from the top of Knuckey Street to the Civic Centre to hear what this government, and I as the spokesman for this government on this issue, and other speakers, had to say about this reform agenda.
This is an absolute attack on the basic rights of workers in this country. They are unnecessary and they will diminish the living standards of millions of Australian workers. The sooner the opposition wakes up to this and gets on side with this, the better off the Northern Territory will be.
During the election campaign, both the Chief Minister and I clearly articulated the position of the government. We do not support Australian workplace agreements. We will not introduce them into the Territory public sector - no way known. We will move further than that by seeking constitutional advice as to the limitations placed on us by the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act in relation to protecting workers outside the public sector, what options are available to us by way of legislation to protect the rights of private sector workers as well.
We will permit freedom of access to public sector workplaces by unions and by bargaining agents. We will ensure every employee who wants to join a union can do so freely and easily. We will continue to ensure payroll deductions for subscriptions for union members, and will maintain a permanent employment policy in the public sector and not willy-nilly contract out government services. That is what the workers of the Northern Territory want to hear. I am proud to stand here and articulate government policy on this issue.
We do not support the destruction of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, a body formed way back in 1904 - 101 years of proud existence in this country - serving the interests of everyone - employers and employees alike. As recently as a few weeks ago, when we had a long-running enterprise bargaining agreement being worked out with the teachers, it was in the office of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission that we finally reached agreement in the interests of all of those Territory parents, students and, of course, the teachers themselves. It still has a vital and important role to play in Australian industrial relations, and yet this government and this Prime Minister will have it done over and done away with.
We do not support that, and we do not support the shift of power so firmly into the hands of one side of the industrial relations dynamic. There are always two sides out there: employers and employees. We want the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to continue to be the neutral umpire in the arena here, to protect the rights of workers from these savage attacks by the Howard government.
I was proud today, and I was proud on the evening of May Day, to stand and address workers’ rallies. That rally today - and the opposition should make no mistake - was the biggest seen in the streets of Darwin since workers took on the Hatton government in 1987. I salute, applaud and commend every one of those unions, every one of those workers, which were there today. This government will stand with them to take on the Howard government with these reforms.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. I am delighted to advise him, and the House, of this government’s position in relation to Howard’s industrial relations reform agenda. The new member for Brennan comes to this House well steeped in the fine traditions of unions and industrial relations as a practitioner at the coal face. It is something this Assembly can never have too much of - people with hard-nosed industrial relations expertise out there. I look forward to the contributions the member for Brennan will make in this forthcoming parliament.
We are totally opposed to the reforms proposed by the federal Liberal and National Party government. In many ways, this is little Johnny’s swan song. He has hated unions all his political career. He has been restrained in the past either by prime ministers above him …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 52 states quite clearly that members of other parliaments should be referred to with respect, and that unbecoming or offensive words should not be used against any member of any Assembly …
Mr STIRLING: I will withdraw ‘little Johnny’ if that is the offensive remark. I withdraw ‘little Johnny’.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr STIRLING: Prime Minister ‘little Johnny’. At least we know who we are talking about.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, resume your seat! I would ask you to withdraw the term ‘little Johnny’, and if you would replace it with Prime Minister.
Mr STIRLING: Absolutely. Prime Minister Howard has long hated unions. All his life, all his political career, he has wanted to take unions on, and he thinks he now has the opportunity, from tomorrow, with a majority in the Senate, to do exactly what he wishes.
I have to tell the opposition, who were not there at lunch time, that there were a few more than a few thousand workers out in the streets of Darwin at lunch time – heralded, waved at, congratulated, applauded by people standing on the streets – as they marched from the top of Knuckey Street to the Civic Centre to hear what this government, and I as the spokesman for this government on this issue, and other speakers, had to say about this reform agenda.
This is an absolute attack on the basic rights of workers in this country. They are unnecessary and they will diminish the living standards of millions of Australian workers. The sooner the opposition wakes up to this and gets on side with this, the better off the Northern Territory will be.
During the election campaign, both the Chief Minister and I clearly articulated the position of the government. We do not support Australian workplace agreements. We will not introduce them into the Territory public sector - no way known. We will move further than that by seeking constitutional advice as to the limitations placed on us by the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act in relation to protecting workers outside the public sector, what options are available to us by way of legislation to protect the rights of private sector workers as well.
We will permit freedom of access to public sector workplaces by unions and by bargaining agents. We will ensure every employee who wants to join a union can do so freely and easily. We will continue to ensure payroll deductions for subscriptions for union members, and will maintain a permanent employment policy in the public sector and not willy-nilly contract out government services. That is what the workers of the Northern Territory want to hear. I am proud to stand here and articulate government policy on this issue.
We do not support the destruction of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, a body formed way back in 1904 - 101 years of proud existence in this country - serving the interests of everyone - employers and employees alike. As recently as a few weeks ago, when we had a long-running enterprise bargaining agreement being worked out with the teachers, it was in the office of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission that we finally reached agreement in the interests of all of those Territory parents, students and, of course, the teachers themselves. It still has a vital and important role to play in Australian industrial relations, and yet this government and this Prime Minister will have it done over and done away with.
We do not support that, and we do not support the shift of power so firmly into the hands of one side of the industrial relations dynamic. There are always two sides out there: employers and employees. We want the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to continue to be the neutral umpire in the arena here, to protect the rights of workers from these savage attacks by the Howard government.
I was proud today, and I was proud on the evening of May Day, to stand and address workers’ rallies. That rally today - and the opposition should make no mistake - was the biggest seen in the streets of Darwin since workers took on the Hatton government in 1987. I salute, applaud and commend every one of those unions, every one of those workers, which were there today. This government will stand with them to take on the Howard government with these reforms.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016