Page 3040 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 17 November 1992
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Madam Speaker, that at about that time they were also thinking about improving their own wages. I wonder whether the Liberals opposite would support that view - rip into the workers and put up your own wages. Meanwhile, in Canberra, representatives of the other jurisdictions were able to debate a number of important issues in the field of labour relations.
There has been a steady rate of progress in the completion and certification of enterprise agreements. These agreements reflect workplace bargains that have enabled the introduction of a range of reforms to work and management practices that have increased productivity and improved efficiency. Since the Ministers for Labour Conference, the Federal Minister for Industrial Relations has announced the successful completion of an enterprise bargain covering the Australian Public Service. The ACT Government is seeking to ensure that a mirror agreement will apply to its own public sector.
Members of the Assembly may be aware that the Prime Minister announced on 27 July 1992 a national employment and training plan for young Australians. Included was a new career start traineeship. This traineeship provides a bridge from existing training arrangements to the proposals put forward in the Carmichael report on entry level training. It combines work with structured off-the-job training. An award has already been made which enables the introduction of career staff traineeships into ACT Government employment. Arrangements are well advanced between the Confederation of ACT Industry and the Trades and Labour Council to finalise award changes so that the traineeship can apply in the ACT private sector. The ACT legislative framework will enable the application of complementary arrangements for unpaid work experience of up to 240 hours a year for senior school students.
As regards the construction industry, Labour Ministers have a key role in implementing reform through participation in the national strategy. They have particular interest in workplace reform, workplace bargaining, model projects and the code of practice, as well as particular responsibility as regards workers compensation, redundancy pay, and other employment conditions. Significant progress has been made in improving Australia's record as regards ratification of ILO conventions. The ACT has been particularly active and, in recent months, has advised the Federal Government that it can agree to the ratification of a further 16 conventions.
When I reported to the Assembly on the previous Labour Ministers Conference held in Perth in April this year I advised that all Ministers had reaffirmed their commitment to making every effort to remove barriers to the achievement of mutual recognition in occupational health and safety through national uniform outcomes by the end of 1993. I am pleased to report that, in the meeting just held, good progress towards this objective was reported. The National Occupational Health and Safety Commission is well advanced in seeking to achieve harmonisation of existing standards. A report was also presented on work towards developing legislative consistency in the field of occupational health and safety. I am pleased also to report that the modern occupational health and safety legislation put in place by the first Follett Government provides an appropriate framework for the adoption and implementation of the new reform standards when they are endorsed and promulgated at the national level.
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