Wednesday, March 10, 1999
Reith indicates Commission holds little sway
Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith today made it clear the government
had little intention of taking any notice of the Australian Industrial
Relations Commission's (AIRC) findings on junior wages if they contradicted
coalition policy.
This week the Senate dumped government legislation to entrench junior youth
wages, with opposition party senators and Independent Brian Harradine angry
at Mr Reith for pre-empting the AIRC inquiry, which is not due to report
until June.
The Australian Democrats have said that move broke a promise with the
government, reached as part of the deal to get the coalition's original
Workplace Relations Bill through in 1996.
But Mr Reith said today that, although the government had agreed to the
inquiry, there had been no deal that it would wait for its results.
The inquiry had been agreed to in return for the Democrats' agreement to
exempt junior wages from age discrimination legislation until June 2000.
"It was a very simple point, and that is it was the only way in which the
Democrats would agree to a deferral of the implementation of this
legislation which at that time was scheduled for 1997," Mr Reith told Radio
National.
"They agreed to the year 2000, we agreed to a deferral because it gave us a
chance to continue the political campaign necessary to overturn the law
passed by Laurie Brereton back in the early nineties.
"And we have never accepted the proposition that our policy will be
subordinated to the views of the commission.
"Whatever the commission says, with great respect to the commission, we
have a political responsibility to have a position."
He said the government had campaigned on its position on youth wages in the
lead-up to last year's election.
"And consistent and pursuant to that policy, we put the legislation up
after the election," he said.
He said the issue of an agreement had not been raised in the campaign.
"This is just a recent figment of the imagination of those who want to
attack the government's policy position, not on the substance ... but on
the process argument," he said. - AAP
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