❓ The Minister answers a question regarding similarities between the Howard government's proposed industrial relations changes and the former WA government's system, highlighting concerns about minimum wage, workplace agreements, and unfair dismissal provisions.
AnsweredQoN 317Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Will the minister inform the house about the similarities between the Howard government’s proposed industrial relations changes and the former Western Australian government’s industrial relations system? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Clearly, we in Western Australia have first-hand experience of what will happen if John Howard has his way and is able to take over the state industrial relations jurisdiction and impose the changes of which he has given notice. He is proposing to do away with the Industrial Relations Commission’s setting the minimum wage and to have a new body do it. That is what happened here under Court and Kierath; that is, they set up - Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr T.R. Buswell : That is what Tony Blair did. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Vasse to order for the first time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : Under Court and Kierath, a separate method, outside the Industrial Relations Commission, was used to set the minimum wage. Within a short time, the minimum wage in Western Australia was $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia. That is a fact. That is what happened under Court and Kierath. As a result of those changes, this state, which was a leading economy of the nation, had a minimum wage $50 below that of everywhere else in Australia. The parallel between what Mr Howard is seeking to do and what happened in Western Australia under the Liberals prior to 2001 - Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr T.R. Buswell interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Vasse to order for the second time. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The previous government forced people onto workplace agreements. The rhetoric was that people had choice. The reality was that people were forced onto workplace agreements, because if they did not sign a workplace agreement, they did not have a job. That is exactly what John Howard is saying he will do. He is putting millions of dollars into funding his industrial relations changes, which will force people onto workplace agreements. Not only was the minimum wage in Western Australia $50 a week below the minimum wage in the rest of Australia because companies were awarded contracts based on the lowest price, but also the wages of people employed by this Parliament were lowered due to workplace agreements. That is what will happen under the Howard initiatives; that is, people’s wages will be lowered because of the interplay between forcing people onto workplace agreements and the lowering of the minimum wage. Mr Kierath also reduced the effectiveness of unfair dismissal provisions, so it was more difficult for people to present an unfair dismissal case. John Howard will go one step further; he will ensure that people who are employed in enterprises with 100 or fewer employees will have no right to make an unfair dismissal claim. The impact of that will be lower health and safety standards in workplaces, and more people will be killed and injured, because who will stand up to a boss and say that equipment is not safe if he or she can be sacked without comeback? The Howard initiatives will repeat what occurred in Western Australia under the previous Liberal government and will be to the detriment of working families in Western Australia and across Australia.
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