Page 4541 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 18 October 2011
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electronically through the authority’s new leave track system and there have been very few concerns raised about the administrative process required to submit returns and pay levies.
A total of $3.5 million in levies has been paid by employers as of 30 September 2011 and I know that the authority has been very active in providing as much information to employers on their legislative requirements under the scheme and assisting them with their initial returns. I think that this is a very good and strong start for the community sector long service leave scheme and a well overdue entitlement to those who work in the community sector.
Public service—enterprise bargaining negotiations
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, part of my question has already been asked by Dr Bourke, but can you confirm what directorates have yet to conclude enterprise agreements?
Mr Hargreaves: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, I seek your guidance on this. This is a new process; so I am treading on new ground. Could I ask you whether or not that question from Mr Doszpot should actually be regarded as a supplementary to the question No 2 asked by Dr Bourke and therefore should not be in order?
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, I think not. I think Mr Doszpot has—and this is perhaps a question that the Assembly will need to think about in this system and how it operates—
Mr Hargreaves: That is why I raise it.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot was not to know Dr Bourke’s question in advance. I think he has acknowledged that part of it has been asked, but half of his question remains valid and we will take that as the question, subject to further guidance from the Assembly. Chief Minister.
MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think the short answer to Mr Doszpot’s question is that none of the agreements has been finalised to that detail. We have reached in-principle agreements; so all of the directorates’ agreements remain outstanding because the schedule to the agreements is now being finalised. But we have reached an agreement on the date that the pay rises should kick in and the agreement around the 3.5 per cent pay rise for all directorates, apart from the teachers.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, what is the reason that these directorates have been unable to conclude enterprise agreements?
MS GALLAGHER: The directorates have not been able to finalise their agency-specific schedules to the agreement until agreement was reached on the pay rise. So that is done first. It is called the common core. There is a common core of conditions that are agreed across all agencies, particularly in the clerical area, and now that is agreed—the pay rise is agreed—then agencies and directorates go and negotiate the agency-specific schedules which relate to different terms and conditions of employment around allowances, shift penalties—all of that sort of detail. So it is not
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