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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (8 August) . . Page.. 2566 ..
MR SPEAKER (continuing):
As he sees it, not all the suggested initiatives have immediate cost savings. Some will take time to swing in, to create structural efficiencies, but the cost-cutters would not accept that.
The Government's imperatives are easy to see-the budget must be cut by 2 per cent across the board, and in the Department of Urban Services, by much more.
The AMEU has objected strongly to having to provide detailed costings of its proposals. But without accurate costings, the Government does not know if the projected savings figures are rubbery. They may be worried that after several reports painting very unflattering pictures of how much can be saved in the ACTION workshops, where 200 AMEU members work, they might want to delay signing any agreement before considering some much more radical proposals.
And for a pragmatic Government with a parsimonious Chief Minister in tough times, this is the right attitude.
It has to know accurate costings, has to keep tabs on its workplaces, not because it is a control freak, but because fiscal responsibility demands it.
The ferocity of Mr Heaney's statements might be attributable to his concern that the suggested cuts will be seen as not nearly dramatic enough.
But what's the hurry to finalise the agreement? Negotiations have been on for months, and they were progressing nicely. But a last minute hitch has sent Mr Heany into public, calling Ms Follett and her office
Follett tells unions to talk to Berry
The ACT Chief Minister and Treasurer, Rosemary Follett, has told the Trades and Labour Council that she will leave negotiations on an enterprise-bargaining agreement to the Minister for Industrial Relations, Wayne Berry.In a letter to the council's secretary, Charles McDonald, Ms Follett said that the bulk of negotiations had been conducted by Mr Berry and that "he is well placed to represent the views of the Government at this second and more sensitive round of discussions". He had called for a meeting on Monday.
The letter is in response to a December 3 request from the council for an urgent meeting to discuss funding issues surrounding wage outcomes in enterprise bargaining.
Ms Follett has attracted strong criticism this week from various union organisations. Mr McDonald told all unions to cease local bargaining centre negotiations in protest against the "excessive delay in [the] Chief Minister's response" to their request for a meeting. They want a funding commitment by December 20. He has called his own meeting for next Tuesday.
The secretary of the Automotive, Metals and Engineering Union, Des Heaney, also wrote a letter to Ms Follett, saying she had shown herself as incompetent to deal with the issues involved.
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