Page 3343 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 1994
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There follows a statement of 10 program objectives for the ILO, covering most of the essentials of social progress - full employment and the raising of living standards, job satisfaction, training, wage policies, the right to collective bargaining, social security, occupational health and safety, child welfare and maternity protection, workers' nutrition and housing, and equality of education and vocational opportunity. The ILO has done a remarkable job in developing international labour standards and in working with member countries to assist with implementation of and adherence to those standards.
With the globalisation of economic activity and therefore of the world of work, the requirement for basic principles and standards about what happens in the workplace is more pressing than ever. Respect for human rights, decent living standards, safe and healthy working conditions, fairness and equity in employment opportunity and economic security are the core elements of social justice which the ILO strives to guarantee for working people everywhere. These are just as relevant in the 1990s, as we approach the twenty-first century, as they were when they were built into the ILO charter in 1919. It is important to understand that peace, security and economic and social development cannot be achieved as isolated goals. Rather, they must be pursued as part of a comprehensive strategy that reflects their interdependence at a State, Territory, national and international level. This is why this Government takes its ILO responsibilities seriously. Development and implementation of international labour standards are central to the role of the ILO.
In June each year, after considerable preparatory work, representatives of governments, employers and workers organisations of all member countries meet at the International Labour Conference in Geneva to adopt or revise those standards, which will become international labour conventions or recommendations. The conventions are binding on countries which ratify them. There are currently 174 conventions in place. These standards are subject to constant supervision by the ILO. Each member country agrees to present periodically to the ILO a report on the measures taken to apply, in law and in practice, conventions once they are ratified. These reports are then examined by a committee of international and subject matter experts, and advice is provided to member countries. Measures taken at the national level to put the conventions into force are a crucial factor in the standards process. ILO standards play an important part in the elaboration of national legislation. In the Australian context, this means not only Commonwealth law but also State and Territory legislation and administrative practice. A number of provisions in the Federal Industrial Relations Act of this year are based directly on ILO conventions which Australia has ratified.
Since self-government in 1989, the ACT has played an active role in the Australian convention ratification and implementation process. The first ACT Labor Government and the present Labor Government have placed a high priority on ensuring that the ACT acts as a responsible player in the ILO standards process. It has done this by establishing responsive machinery within the process of government. It has identified an officer in the relevant part of the public service to act as an ILO technical officer, with responsibility for coordinating the ACT response to all ILO requests to the Federal Government, and subsequently to the States and Territories, for information and advice on both existing conventions and potential new conventions.
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