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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (26 October) . . Page.. 2139 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

Come and ask me if you want a briefing. We will give you one". It is not as if the world has stopped. We have been negotiating with the TLC, and we will continue to negotiate with the TLC. No matter what government is in power, that is what enterprise bargaining is all about.

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, the nature and extent of workplace reform required is variable and different. That is what I am trying to say. This requires an approach that maximises opportunities for flexibility and choice at the agency or program level. This is not possible if all issues are dealt with on a whole-of-government basis. That is nothing new either. That is classic industrial relations reality that has been spouted in this country since the early 1980s. It seems to me that it would be discriminatory if people whose particular workplaces allow more flexible employment were to be denied this because of the blind ideological commitment to whole-of-government bargaining. It is very discriminatory. The full benefits to employees, the Government and the community are diluted, in fact, if a whole-of-government approach is taken to every aspect of public administration and employment, surely. The management and budgeting approach required by this Government also increases accountability and responsibility at the service delivery level.

There is no evidence that the current enterprise bargaining arrangements are working in the manner envisaged. While they recognise the need for agencies to be able to consider issues of workplace reform that are specific to their operating circumstances and industry sectors, there is no real incentive for unions and their members to cooperate in necessary significant reform. This is because a total pay increase was centrally negotiated and has been paid in advance of any commitment to implement a specific and real workplace change. If that is what Ms Tucker wants us to continue to do - in other words, to spend more money but not get anything back in return - that is not the way things work in the real world. Perhaps we are not talking about real world issues now. We are back at Parkwood Eggs and all that sort of stuff.

Let us have a look at enterprise bargaining. The Government's approach to enterprise and workplace bargaining has regard for all the factors that Ms Tucker was concerned about. Accordingly, agency-based pay and productivity bargaining is a cornerstone of the Government's approach, and so it should be.

Mr Berry: It is a Liberal policy.

MR DE DOMENICO: I am glad that Mr Berry interjects. Every time Mr Berry interjects he shows us how ideologically sound he is to the far left wing of the Labor Party. He says that it is a Liberal approach. Mr Berry, once again, you are wrong. You said that it is a Liberal approach. You are wrong. It is an approach that has been taken on board, Mr Berry, by many sensible Labor governments, "sensible" being the operative word. It was not taken on by your lot because you are ideologically unsound, as the 30 per cent vote you got from the community proved. We will keep saying that. The 30 per cent vote you got was the lowest vote ever. That was while you were Minister for Industrial Relations.

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