❓ The WA government is progressing its High Court challenge against the Howard Government's WorkChoices legislation, arguing it undermines worker protections and state rights by using corporations law.
AnsweredQoN 213Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CHALLENGE TO WORKCHOICES LEGISLATION
Will the minister inform the house how the Western Australian government is progressing its High Court challenge to the Howard Government’s WorkChoices legislation? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
Will the minister inform the house how the Western Australian government is progressing its High Court challenge to the Howard Government’s WorkChoices legislation? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
On behalf of the Minister for Consumer Protection, I thank the member for her question. Today is an important occasion in the history of the federation of Australia with the commencement of the challenge in the High Court by the states against the commonwealth government’s industrial relations laws. Tomorrow, hopefully, the state Solicitor General, Rob Meadows, QC, will present the case on behalf of Western Australia. The industrial relations changes made by the federal government are clearly a disaster for workers in this nation, because they remove job security and a range of protections that have been built up over the past 100 years. In addition, those changes are a real threat to the federation because of the use of corporations law. A number of eminent spokespeople around Australia have pointed out that if this system were to continue, the commonwealth’s use of corporations law could usurp the rights and responsibilities of state governments in a range of areas. Indeed, the federal government could use corporations laws to assume responsibility in the area of uranium mining, to which the state objects. It could also use corporations laws to overrule our prohibition on various forms of gaming machines. The state is keen to uphold the areas of law that have been its responsibility and to ensure that when it comes to providing basic protection for the working men and women in this state, what has been our jurisdiction for 100 years will be preserved.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: On behalf of the Minister for Consumer Protection, I thank the member for her question. Today is an important occasion in the history of the federation of Australia with the commencement of the challenge in the High Court by the states against the commonwealth government’s industrial relations laws. Tomorrow, hopefully, the state Solicitor General, Rob Meadows, QC, will present the case on behalf of Western Australia. The industrial relations changes made by the federal government are clearly a disaster for workers in this nation, because they remove job security and a range of protections that have been built up over the past 100 years. In addition, those changes are a real threat to the federation because of the use of corporations law. A number of eminent spokespeople around Australia have pointed out that if this system were to continue, the commonwealth’s use of corporations law could usurp the rights and responsibilities of state governments in a range of areas. Indeed, the federal government could use corporations laws to assume responsibility in the area of uranium mining, to which the state objects. It could also use corporations laws to overrule our prohibition on various forms of gaming machines. The state is keen to uphold the areas of law that have been its responsibility and to ensure that when it comes to providing basic protection for the working men and women in this state, what has been our jurisdiction for 100 years will be preserved.
On behalf of the Minister for Consumer Protection, I thank the member for her question. Today is an important occasion in the history of the federation of Australia with the commencement of the challenge in the High Court by the states against the commonwealth government’s industrial relations laws. Tomorrow, hopefully, the state Solicitor General, Rob Meadows, QC, will present the case on behalf of Western Australia. The industrial relations changes made by the federal government are clearly a disaster for workers in this nation, because they remove job security and a range of protections that have been built up over the past 100 years. In addition, those changes are a real threat to the federation because of the use of corporations law. A number of eminent spokespeople around Australia have pointed out that if this system were to continue, the commonwealth’s use of corporations law could usurp the rights and responsibilities of state governments in a range of areas. Indeed, the federal government could use corporations laws to assume responsibility in the area of uranium mining, to which the state objects. It could also use corporations laws to overrule our prohibition on various forms of gaming machines. The state is keen to uphold the areas of law that have been its responsibility and to ensure that when it comes to providing basic protection for the working men and women in this state, what has been our jurisdiction for 100 years will be preserved.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: On behalf of the Minister for Consumer Protection, I thank the member for her question. Today is an important occasion in the history of the federation of Australia with the commencement of the challenge in the High Court by the states against the commonwealth government’s industrial relations laws. Tomorrow, hopefully, the state Solicitor General, Rob Meadows, QC, will present the case on behalf of Western Australia. The industrial relations changes made by the federal government are clearly a disaster for workers in this nation, because they remove job security and a range of protections that have been built up over the past 100 years. In addition, those changes are a real threat to the federation because of the use of corporations law. A number of eminent spokespeople around Australia have pointed out that if this system were to continue, the commonwealth’s use of corporations law could usurp the rights and responsibilities of state governments in a range of areas. Indeed, the federal government could use corporations laws to assume responsibility in the area of uranium mining, to which the state objects. It could also use corporations laws to overrule our prohibition on various forms of gaming machines. The state is keen to uphold the areas of law that have been its responsibility and to ensure that when it comes to providing basic protection for the working men and women in this state, what has been our jurisdiction for 100 years will be preserved.
On behalf of the Minister for Consumer Protection, I thank the member for her question. Today is an important occasion in the history of the federation of Australia with the commencement of the challenge in the High Court by the states against the commonwealth government’s industrial relations laws. Tomorrow, hopefully, the state Solicitor General, Rob Meadows, QC, will present the case on behalf of Western Australia. The industrial relations changes made by the federal government are clearly a disaster for workers in this nation, because they remove job security and a range of protections that have been built up over the past 100 years. In addition, those changes are a real threat to the federation because of the use of corporations law. A number of eminent spokespeople around Australia have pointed out that if this system were to continue, the commonwealth’s use of corporations law could usurp the rights and responsibilities of state governments in a range of areas. Indeed, the federal government could use corporations laws to assume responsibility in the area of uranium mining, to which the state objects. It could also use corporations laws to overrule our prohibition on various forms of gaming machines. The state is keen to uphold the areas of law that have been its responsibility and to ensure that when it comes to providing basic protection for the working men and women in this state, what has been our jurisdiction for 100 years will be preserved.
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