Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

None . . Page.. 45 ..

MS TUCKER: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Was that a yes?

MRS CARNELL: There is no way that this Government is going to ride roughshod over the top of a committee hearing that is under way. That would be totally at odds with everything we have said about committees playing a really important part in this Assembly. The answer is that we will not put things in place until the committee has reported, because the committees are a very important part of this Assembly.

Industrial Unions - Discrimination

MR BERRY: My question is directed to Mr De Domenico in his capacity as Minister for Industrial Relations. Mr Speaker, given that this Minister has for a long time had views on industrial unions, I ask him whether he will give a commitment that there will be no discrimination against organisations representing the industrial interests of people who provide services in the Territory?

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Berry for his question, and the answer is yes. There will be no discrimination.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. How does this Minister justify the rejection of the public sector wage claim when the Government is prepared to cave in to the wealthy doctors union? How does he justify that when he gives that sort of commitment? That is discrimination, if ever I heard it.

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, I am quite happy to answer that supplementary question.

Mr Berry: Because they are the top end of town, you always fold.

MR DE DOMENICO: The answer to that question, Mr Speaker, is that this Government has offered the Public Sector Union the same package as the previous Government offered, because it was a very reasonable, sensible and responsible thing to do. If the union was also reasonable and responsible and did the same thing that the previous Government did, perhaps those people would not be standing out in the rain now.

Mr Berry: That is not the question that I asked. I asked: How do you justify caving in to the wealthy doctors union? You cannot justify that.

MR SPEAKER: Order! As you well know, Mr Berry, the Minister may answer the question as he sees fit.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .