❓ The Minister for Education and Training defends the government's decision to involve the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in resolving the teacher's enterprise bargaining dispute, highlighting the Commission's pivotal role and contrasting the current government's financial management with that of the previous administration.
AnsweredQoN 1403Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Did the Australian Industrial Relations Commission play a useful role in the apparent resolution of the industrial dispute over the teachers enterprise bargaining agreement? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Southern River for his question and for his advocacy for education in his electorate. A lot of criticism was directed towards the Government for taking this dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. I am firmly of the view that if we had not done it, the dispute would not have been resolved, but it has been resolved. The commission played a pivotal role in achieving that resolution. It brought discipline to the proceedings and it required the State School Teachers Union of WA to put its position. Commissioner Raffaelli, for whom I have great regard, allowed the issues to be drawn out and addressed one by one until they were resolved. I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Southern River for his question and for his advocacy for education in his electorate. A lot of criticism was directed towards the Government for taking this dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. I am firmly of the view that if we had not done it, the dispute would not have been resolved, but it has been resolved. The commission played a pivotal role in achieving that resolution. It brought discipline to the proceedings and it required the State School Teachers Union of WA to put its position. Commissioner Raffaelli, for whom I have great regard, allowed the issues to be drawn out and addressed one by one until they were resolved. I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
I thank the member for Southern River for his question and for his advocacy for education in his electorate. A lot of criticism was directed towards the Government for taking this dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. I am firmly of the view that if we had not done it, the dispute would not have been resolved, but it has been resolved. The commission played a pivotal role in achieving that resolution. It brought discipline to the proceedings and it required the State School Teachers Union of WA to put its position. Commissioner Raffaelli, for whom I have great regard, allowed the issues to be drawn out and addressed one by one until they were resolved. I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
A lot of criticism was directed towards the Government for taking this dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. I am firmly of the view that if we had not done it, the dispute would not have been resolved, but it has been resolved. The commission played a pivotal role in achieving that resolution. It brought discipline to the proceedings and it required the State School Teachers Union of WA to put its position. Commissioner Raffaelli, for whom I have great regard, allowed the issues to be drawn out and addressed one by one until they were resolved. I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Southern River for his question and for his advocacy for education in his electorate. A lot of criticism was directed towards the Government for taking this dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. I am firmly of the view that if we had not done it, the dispute would not have been resolved, but it has been resolved. The commission played a pivotal role in achieving that resolution. It brought discipline to the proceedings and it required the State School Teachers Union of WA to put its position. Commissioner Raffaelli, for whom I have great regard, allowed the issues to be drawn out and addressed one by one until they were resolved. I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
I thank the member for Southern River for his question and for his advocacy for education in his electorate. A lot of criticism was directed towards the Government for taking this dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. I am firmly of the view that if we had not done it, the dispute would not have been resolved, but it has been resolved. The commission played a pivotal role in achieving that resolution. It brought discipline to the proceedings and it required the State School Teachers Union of WA to put its position. Commissioner Raffaelli, for whom I have great regard, allowed the issues to be drawn out and addressed one by one until they were resolved. I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
A lot of criticism was directed towards the Government for taking this dispute to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. I am firmly of the view that if we had not done it, the dispute would not have been resolved, but it has been resolved. The commission played a pivotal role in achieving that resolution. It brought discipline to the proceedings and it required the State School Teachers Union of WA to put its position. Commissioner Raffaelli, for whom I have great regard, allowed the issues to be drawn out and addressed one by one until they were resolved. I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
I am sure that everyone in and outside the Parliament is glad that that dispute is over. On Commissioner Raffaelli’s recommendation, we enhanced our baseline offer from three per cent to 3.3 per cent. That 0.3 per cent enhancement will cost us an additional $18 million over three financial years. The Government had already budgeted for the rest of the package; that is, the other $308 million. I sought the additional $18 million and was given agreement that there would be supplementary funding. That is the additional cost over and above the original budget position. I contrast that with the situation under the education minister in the previous Government. The Premier and the Deputy Premier have already outlined the overall budget blow-out in the last three years of the previous Government under its education minister. Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
Dr G.I. Gallop: Minister, where do you think we would be with the teachers’ dispute if we had taken the advice of the Opposition? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I think it speaks for itself. In 1998-99 the previous Government had nearly $20 million in unfunded commitments to salaries, in 1999-200 there was $35 million and in 2000-01 there was $44 million. That is a total of nearly $100 million in supplementary funding just for the salaries component of the enterprise bargaining agreement, not to mention all the other unfunded commitments that the Labor Party picked up when it came to government. The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
The reason we have been able to offer such an attractive package to the teachers of Western Australia is that this Government, under this Treasurer and this Premier, is managing its budget properly. It is the first time in a very long time that a State Government in Western Australia has managed its budget properly. It was a very good outcome for education. What we must do now is put the heat of the dispute behind us and ensure that Western Australia has an education system second to none.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.