Page 263 - Week 01 - Thursday, 24 February 1994
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"Micro-economic reform" is a term that one wonders whether members opposite can spell, let alone understand. Industrial relations is something that members opposite have shown that they cannot understand. When the Liberal Party was running this show we had the ACTION deficit running at the highest level ever. It was right up there amongst the highest levels of operating deficit in any public transport system in Australia. We have now pulled it down to the point where the deficit is running at below Melbourne and Sydney levels. The process we have announced to this chamber, of a $10m reduction over three years, amounts to a 20 per cent reduction in the operating deficit, which is a dramatic achievement. To achieve that we have to instigate massive change at the workplace, massive changes in the way people operate within ACTION, and that is what this agreement that has now been finalised delivers.
Madam Speaker, in order to deliver change at one place you have to ensure that you do not upset a whole-of-government wages outcome; that you do not have either a breakdown in overall industrial relations negotiations or a break-out in wages. As I said earlier, if the Government simply had signed off a deal quickly, which then led to leapfrogging wage claims and strike action in other areas of ACT public employment, nobody would have thanked us. By going through a very deliberate process to ensure that we are genuinely getting achievements for the community as well as the workers in ACTION, we have delivered reform to this community in a manner which will not result in industrial confrontation or chaos elsewhere. I do not like it when we lose any time in industrial action. One presumes that the workers do not either, because they do a day's pay when they are on strike for a day. But at the end of the day we have delivered a massive process of reform in the public transport network, something that has eluded - - -
Mr Humphries: Oh, hardly.
MR CONNOLLY: "Oh, hardly", grumbles Mr Humphries. Mr Humphries, when you were administering departments, when did you ever achieve a 20 per cent saving in a department that you administered? Never, because you lot could not control a budget. You were Mr $9m blow-out in your health budget. The process that we have achieved in public transport eluded you lot when you were in government. When you lot were in government the ACTION deficit was going right up. I think even Access Economics said that in a publication that I have shown here in years past. The deficit was flying up when you were running it. It is coming down now, with minimal industrial disruption. We delivered a landmark agreement.
Mr De Domenico: Why did you not do it last year? It is the same one that you knocked back last year.
MR CONNOLLY: We have done it in such a way that it will not cause industrial problems elsewhere. Simply signing it off immediately, which presumably is what you want us to do - I assume, Madam Speaker, that the Liberal approach now is that whenever - - -
Mr De Domenico: No. I would have sat down and got more than six-and-a-half from them.
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