Page 2848 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 21 October 1992
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MR DE DOMENICO: They are the sorts of comments that are coming from the Government over the other side. This is what modern industrial relations is all about - sharp little comments and trying to score political points. What happened there was that the commission retrospectively, obviously, validated the meal allowance. Once again Mr Berry talks about positives. They are the sorts of things that I think the Canberra community ought to be made aware of.
What did the Liberal Party say when all these things were happening, Madam Speaker? The Liberal Party said that there ought to be an inquiry to make sure that no other such rorts and illegal payments went on. What was the Government's reaction to that? The Government reacted as it normally does. Once again we had the flat fingers situation - sit on your hands, do nothing, say nothing and the problem will go away. What have you to lose? What has this Government to lose? Just the illegal rorts for the union mates or millions of dollars in savings and efficiencies. That is what you have to lose.
Mr Berry talked about positives. What about the illegal over-award payments made to some ACTEW employees? What did you do about that, Mr Berry? Let me tell you again.
Mr Kaine: He flicked that to Mr Connolly, too.
MR DE DOMENICO: He flicked it to Mr Connolly, the old hand pass - running on the half-forward flank, he dropped the ball and gave it to Mr Connolly. Once again, why should Mr Berry take any flak? Once again, Mr Connolly did the right thing. He came out publicly and criticised the unions. What did the unions do to Mr Connolly? They bucketed him.
Mr Connolly: Hit me, Tony. Say something nasty about me.
MR DE DOMENICO: They bucketed you, Terry. Guess what Mr Berry did while Mr Connolly was being bucketed. Did he support Mr Connolly? Not on your life. He did just what he did now. He stood up and he left. That is how united that Government is over the other side. Mr Berry stood up and left you like a shag on a rock, and you have as much chance of surviving as a one-legged frog in a snake pit, let me tell you. They will get you in the end.
The Government should be making sure that they look at what John Howard said. That is the way of the future, Mr Connolly, whether you like it or whether you do not. It is not just John Howard saying things. Let us listen to what Senator Peter Cook has to say. Senator Cook, once again, is a reasonable Labor Party politician; not a left-winger, but in the middle. Let us see what he has to say. On 6 August - quite recently - the Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Peter Cook, announced that the Government had given the green light for negotiations to go ahead aimed at settling an agreed framework for unions for the introduction of - wait for it - workplace bargaining in the Australian Public Service.
Mr Berry has stood up here and said, "No, there will be none of that". What has Mr Berry, the Minister for Industrial Relations, done about setting in place workplace bargaining initiatives for the ACT public service? Senator Cook and Mr Keating, I believe, wrote to the Chief Minister some time ago saying, "Hey, listen, we ought to be thinking about the ACT public service". Do you
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