Page 150 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 17 February 1993
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The Liberal Party policy is about employment growth through flexibility, as opposed to restrictive work practices. My motion says, purely and simply: Let us have a look at all these work practices that occur in the ACT Government Administration, especially at a time when we are looking into establishing our own public service. We might also have to establish our own awards, which we do not have right at this minute. Under a Hewson-Howard government there is not going to be a Federal award system, so under what awards will the ACT be operating? It has to be on a contractual basis with employees or you are going to have to have some sort of award.
Mr Connolly: So you are going to scrap awards?
MR DE DOMENICO: No, I did not say that. Madam Speaker, would Mr Connolly attempt not to misrepresent what I am saying?
Mr Connolly: You said that there would be no awards.
MR DE DOMENICO: No. You have a habit recently - I do not know; perhaps you are not getting enough sleep - of misrepresenting what people are saying. I ask you, please, not to misrepresent what I say.
Madam Speaker, it is about employment growth through flexibility as opposed to restrictive work practices. Once again, Mr Lamont can stand up and talk until he turns blue in the face. The fact of the matter is that after 10 years of Labor government we have over one million people unemployed. If Mr Lamont believes that over the past 10 years accords mark 1 to 14, or whatever it is, have been successful, he should have a look at the unemployment queue. Over one million people are unemployed. That was not done by us but by policies of your Federal Government, which has been in power for 10 years. That is the result of your policies and your viewpoint. So do not stand up here and talk about what we are doing. The ACT Liberal Party policy recognises the peculiar legislative and work force requirements of the ACT and encourages the creation of an industrial relations system that is both adaptable and flexible. I think it is adaptability and flexibility that we are talking about.
To get back to the motion, because we were taken away from it by the comments of the previous speaker, Mr Lamont, what does the Government have to hide? To all intents and purposes, there may be nothing occurring at the minute that should not occur, but perhaps there may be, Mr Connolly. The things I have seen occur time and time again make me believe that, especially as the Chief Minister has come into this place and said that we need to set up our own public service, we should have a look at exactly what people are receiving in terms of salaries and conditions, to make sure that everybody is being paid a fair share, that they are being paid what they are entitled to.
Let us be honest. That is the only way we are going to make sure that the community of Canberra are happy to say that this Government has done all it can to make sure that there are no rorts occurring - and I use the word that you suggest you do not use, Mr Connolly. I do not think the community is satisfied, notwithstanding what you or your Government, through you, Madam Speaker, might think from time to time. Let us bring it out into the open. What do you have to hide? If you have nothing to hide, I think you can see why logically you should support this motion.
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