Page 2300 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 1 November 1989
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ACTION Dispute
MR DUBY: My question is addressed to the laughing cavalier, the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education. It is a question about ACTION bus services.
Mr Whalan: If it is industrial - - -
MR DUBY: It is an industrial matter. I will address it to the Minister. I refer to the industrial action being taken by ACTION employees in the form of no bus services to the Commonwealth Parliament House and ask him whether he agrees that the union's action is inconveniencing not those against whom it is intended, namely the politicians - for, as we all know, not many politicians catch buses - but instead ACT citizens who are mere employees at Parliament House. I also ask: how long is the situation going to be allowed to go on?
MR WHALAN: I thank Mr Duby for the question. The point is that the bans - not only the ACTION bans but also a whole range of other industrial actions - have been rather unfortunately targeted at the citizens of the ACT. We are not directly involved. However, we are confident that the industrial action will be called off later today. The action has been in protest against the attitude taken by the Federal Government to the pay claims made by various public sector unions representing a whole cross-section of employees.
The ACT Government, unfortunately, has not been a party to the recent negotiations, and local action against it and the citizens of the ACT has been misguided. However, I understand that the Federal Government has now reached an agreement with the ACTU and the public sector unions on the basis that all bans and limitations are lifted. I believe the unions will be considering their response later this afternoon, but the expectation is that the agreement will be ratified and industrial action will cease.
Hospitals
MR KAINE: I address a question to the Minister for Community Services and Health, who yesterday indicated what the Government intends to do about our public hospitals at a capital cost of $210m. I understand that was the figure. In the same report, the Kearney report, which led to that decision, it was suggested that staff savings in the central administration be identified by management. I would like to ask the Minister: have any staff savings in the area of administration yet been identified by his departmental managers? If not, when does he intend to ensure that such a review is carried out to identify such potential savings to offset some of the $210m we have to find to keep the hospitals going?
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