DRAFT recommendations to improve Australia’s workplace relations framework contain some positive proposals but do not go far enough to tackle serious economic challenges facing our nation, resource industry employer group AMMA will tell a Productivity Commission (PC) hearing in Melbourne today.

Speaking in support of AMMA’s comprehensive reply to the PC’s Draft Report into Australia’s Workplace Relations Framework, AMMA executive director, Scott Barklamb, will highlight shortcomings in the PC’s response to addressing escalating problems with our workplace laws.

“Far from being ‘fit for purpose’ the current workplace relations system will not be able to buffer Australia against future challenges, nor allow employers and employees to seize the benefits of genuine flexibility and fairness,” Mr Barklamb says.

“While the draft report proposes improvements in key areas such as new project agreement making, the PC has taken an overly cautious approach, canvassing mainly technical amendments to the Rudd/Gillard Fair Work system, and leaving other areas in the too hard basket.

“It is very disappointing that the PC has largely focussed on repairing and tweaking existing arrangements, rather than considering what our laws need to do and how best they can operate.”

Mr Barklamb will encourage the PC to focus on key priorities for investors and employers, as part of a more fundamental examination of our workplace system and options for reform, including: 

• Ensuring workplace agreements focus on the direct relationship between employers and employees, and not extraneous issues, such as union wish lists.
• Ensuring that above a safety-net, employers and employees can progress their interests and contribute to the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises.
• Broadening agreement making options through of a range of collective (union, non-union, and greenfields) and individual statutory agreements.
• Ensuring strike action can only be taken as a last resort.
• Ensuring union ‘right of entry’ visits are reasonable and take due account of operational needs.
• Ensuring protections against unfair dismissal and adverse action are genuinely balanced.

“It is imperative for our workplace relations system to better support growth and jobs, and the PC has a responsibility to deliver recommendations for real change for the future,” Mr Barklamb says.

“AMMA looks forward to engaging further with the PC as it considers how our workplace relations framework can better equip Australia to tackle increasing economic pressures, and to seize opportunities for our future prosperity.”

Over the past two years, at least 149 major resource projects valued at a minimum $197 billion have failed to proceed in Australia.

KPMG research indicates that if key industrial relations reforms advocated by AMMA are implemented, they could add up to $30.9 billion to Australia’s GDP and create 36,000 extra jobs.

www.amma.org.au

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THE Infrastructure and Communications Committee will hold public hearings in Brisbane and Melbourne later this week as part of its Inquiry into the role of Smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure.

These hearings will allow the Committee to canvass the views of a broad range of expert witnesses from industry, universities and government.

Committee Chairman Jane Prentice MP (Ryan, Qld) said, “The Brisbane and Melbourne hearings of the Smart Infrastructure Inquiry will draw together experts from a range of fields and give the Committee a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding the use of Smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure in Australia.”

Hearing details

BRISBANE

Date: Thursday, 24 September 2015

Time: 1:00 pm–4:00 pm

Venue: Committee Room 3, Level 6, Parliamentary Annexe, Alice Street, Brisbane

Witnesses: Urban Circus (Submission 3), Queensland University of Technology (Submission 19), AECOM (Submission 21), Associate Professor Tan Yigitcanlar (QUT), and Bentley Systems (Submission 29).

MELBOURNE

Date:Friday, 25 September 2015

Time:8:00 am–3:00 pm

Venue:Legislative Council Committee Room, Parliament House, Melbourne

Witnesses: Victorian Government (Submission 24), Australian Academy of Science (Submission 5), Victorian Spatial Council (Submission 6), Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (Submission 13), City of Melbourne (Submission 35), Independent Project Analysis (Submission 11), Professor Keith Hampson, Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (by teleconference), Swinburne University of Technology (Submission 36), University of Melbourne (Submissions 17, 31 & 32) and IBM (Submission 2).

The public hearing will be webcast live at http://www.aph.gov.au/live

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The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is calling on the new Turnbull Government Ministry to follow through on the commitments made to small businesses and tax reforms.

Key reforms include the introduction of a competition effects test and instatement of the zero value import threshold before July 2017.

ARA Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman, welcomed the announcement of the new Turnbull Government Ministry on Sunday, including the retention of Small Business in Cabinet with Kelly O’Dwyer to carry through these all important reforms.

“The surge in confidence expressed this week within business is reflective of the Government’s commitment to address issues including GST collection on overseas purchases and the possibility of real reform of competition policy,” said Mr Zimmerman.

Retailers are looking forward to the Government further lifting retail, consumer and business confidence through support for further GST reform, employment law reform and changes to the payments system recommended by the Financial Systems Inquiry (FSI).

“The ARA is pleased to see small business remains in the Cabinet, with the Assistant Treasury portfolio covering off many important areas for the retail sector, from the FSI payments reform to the Harper Review competition recommendations.

“It is now incumbent on the Turnbull Government to commence the task of implementing many of the recommendations which have been made in recent reviews from the Productivity Commission, Harper Review to the FSI,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“The 140,000 Australian independent retail business are demanding that the coalition bring in an effects test as per the recommendations of the Harper review, while a reduction in penalty rates for retailers is crucial in the upcoming Fair Work review."

With the new Turnbull Ministry now in place the ARA is reminding Ministers of the importance of role the retail sector as Australia’s largest private sector employer with more than 10 percent of the working population employed in the retail industry.

“The ARA looks forward to working with all key economic productivity Ministers, including Treasurer, Scott Morrison, Simon Birmingham through Education, Alex Hawke as Assistant Minister to the Treasurer, and Mathias Cormann in Finance.”

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $284 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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AUSTRALIA’S national resource industry employer group, AMMA (Australian Mines and Metals Association), has congratulated the three new appointees and one promoted member of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) announced today by the Turnbull Government.

"These four highly credentialed professionals are widely regarded for their legal expertise, business acumen and understanding of the complex range of workplace relations challenges facing Australian employers, employees, trade unions and employer organisations," AMMA chief executive Steve Knott said.

"They will contribute to strengthening and renewing the FWC and increasing the quality and relevance of its decisions.

"Having managed and advised on practical business and workforce outcomes across a range of industries, the new appointees will bolster the FWC with much needed ‘real life’ business experience and practical understanding of workplaces, employers and employees: 

• "Tanya Cirkovic is highly regarded across the legal and business communities for her expertise in workplace relations law, and the development of her own employment law practice. 

• "Tony Saunders is a highly regarded employment barrister with a sharp understanding of complex workplace relations matters who regularly represents clients in our highest tribunals and courts. 

• "Chris Platt is a highly experienced industrial relations professional having held senior positions in the resources and agribusiness industries, as well as representing small business. 

• "Geoff Bull, a current Fair Work Commissioner, has deservedly been promoted to Deputy President. This reflects the diligence and professionalism he has demonstrated within the FWC, and his experience advising on workplace relations matters across a range of sectors."

Mr Knott said, "Today’s appointments are an essential injection of practical expertise and capacity to work with employers into the FWC after the unashamed stacking of the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years, which saw 18 of 27 appointments came from narrow pool of union and Labor-affiliated candidates.

"They will bring competencies, experience and qualifications that will strengthen the FWC’s reputation and relevance, and support both employment and fair treatment for working Australians.

"AMMA and its members look forward to further appointments with proven and well-regarded experience in making critical commercial decisions and an understanding of what it means to run an organisation – from our smallest family businesses to major corporations."

In 2014, AMMA published an extensive analysis of the FWC’s composition and background of appointees under the former Labor Government.  This research can be accessed here.

www.amma.org.au

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