❓ The WA Minister for Consumer and Employment Protection expresses pleasure that the federal Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 was rejected by the Senate, criticising it as an attempt by the Commonwealth to encroach on state jurisdiction and reduce workplace standards.
AnsweredQoN 1011Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to the federal Government’s Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002, which was rejected by the Senate on 11 August 2003. Can the minister advise this House of the State Government’s response to this development? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. I am pleased that the Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 did not pass through the Senate recently. It was made very clear that we totally opposed this attempt by the federal Government to take over an area of state jurisdiction in respect of unfair dismissals, using the corporations law. There was a clear agreement between the Commonwealth and the States that it would not use corporations law to take over state areas of responsibility in both industrial relations and environmental areas. The federal minister, Tony Abbott, thought he would be a bit tricky and, if he could lower standards in the workplace, he could ensure that people had no right to claim unfair dismissal if they were employed by small businesses that were caught by corporations law. This was just one way of taking that responsibility over from the State. The Commonwealth should not have countenanced that idea. Further, it was an attempt by the Commonwealth to reduce the standards that apply to people in the workplace. A person could be treated harshly and oppressively and, if he or she fell within that category, he or she would have no right to unfair dismissal action. From what has happened in the past few days, in Tony Abbott’s dealings with One Nation and how he did the footwork for the Prime Minister and then tried to cover up, we are starting to see what he is about. This legislation is a very clear example of what Tony Abbott was trying to do in the federal Parliament to make sure that ordinary working men and women in this State had their rights ripped away by this federal Liberal Government, which does not give a fig about standards and looking after ordinary working men and women in this nation.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I am pleased that the Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 did not pass through the Senate recently. It was made very clear that we totally opposed this attempt by the federal Government to take over an area of state jurisdiction in respect of unfair dismissals, using the corporations law. There was a clear agreement between the Commonwealth and the States that it would not use corporations law to take over state areas of responsibility in both industrial relations and environmental areas. The federal minister, Tony Abbott, thought he would be a bit tricky and, if he could lower standards in the workplace, he could ensure that people had no right to claim unfair dismissal if they were employed by small businesses that were caught by corporations law. This was just one way of taking that responsibility over from the State. The Commonwealth should not have countenanced that idea. Further, it was an attempt by the Commonwealth to reduce the standards that apply to people in the workplace. A person could be treated harshly and oppressively and, if he or she fell within that category, he or she would have no right to unfair dismissal action. From what has happened in the past few days, in Tony Abbott’s dealings with One Nation and how he did the footwork for the Prime Minister and then tried to cover up, we are starting to see what he is about. This legislation is a very clear example of what Tony Abbott was trying to do in the federal Parliament to make sure that ordinary working men and women in this State had their rights ripped away by this federal Liberal Government, which does not give a fig about standards and looking after ordinary working men and women in this nation.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. I am pleased that the Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 did not pass through the Senate recently. It was made very clear that we totally opposed this attempt by the federal Government to take over an area of state jurisdiction in respect of unfair dismissals, using the corporations law. There was a clear agreement between the Commonwealth and the States that it would not use corporations law to take over state areas of responsibility in both industrial relations and environmental areas. The federal minister, Tony Abbott, thought he would be a bit tricky and, if he could lower standards in the workplace, he could ensure that people had no right to claim unfair dismissal if they were employed by small businesses that were caught by corporations law. This was just one way of taking that responsibility over from the State. The Commonwealth should not have countenanced that idea. Further, it was an attempt by the Commonwealth to reduce the standards that apply to people in the workplace. A person could be treated harshly and oppressively and, if he or she fell within that category, he or she would have no right to unfair dismissal action. From what has happened in the past few days, in Tony Abbott’s dealings with One Nation and how he did the footwork for the Prime Minister and then tried to cover up, we are starting to see what he is about. This legislation is a very clear example of what Tony Abbott was trying to do in the federal Parliament to make sure that ordinary working men and women in this State had their rights ripped away by this federal Liberal Government, which does not give a fig about standards and looking after ordinary working men and women in this nation.
I am pleased that the Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 did not pass through the Senate recently. It was made very clear that we totally opposed this attempt by the federal Government to take over an area of state jurisdiction in respect of unfair dismissals, using the corporations law. There was a clear agreement between the Commonwealth and the States that it would not use corporations law to take over state areas of responsibility in both industrial relations and environmental areas. The federal minister, Tony Abbott, thought he would be a bit tricky and, if he could lower standards in the workplace, he could ensure that people had no right to claim unfair dismissal if they were employed by small businesses that were caught by corporations law. This was just one way of taking that responsibility over from the State. The Commonwealth should not have countenanced that idea. Further, it was an attempt by the Commonwealth to reduce the standards that apply to people in the workplace. A person could be treated harshly and oppressively and, if he or she fell within that category, he or she would have no right to unfair dismissal action. From what has happened in the past few days, in Tony Abbott’s dealings with One Nation and how he did the footwork for the Prime Minister and then tried to cover up, we are starting to see what he is about. This legislation is a very clear example of what Tony Abbott was trying to do in the federal Parliament to make sure that ordinary working men and women in this State had their rights ripped away by this federal Liberal Government, which does not give a fig about standards and looking after ordinary working men and women in this nation.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I am pleased that the Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 did not pass through the Senate recently. It was made very clear that we totally opposed this attempt by the federal Government to take over an area of state jurisdiction in respect of unfair dismissals, using the corporations law. There was a clear agreement between the Commonwealth and the States that it would not use corporations law to take over state areas of responsibility in both industrial relations and environmental areas. The federal minister, Tony Abbott, thought he would be a bit tricky and, if he could lower standards in the workplace, he could ensure that people had no right to claim unfair dismissal if they were employed by small businesses that were caught by corporations law. This was just one way of taking that responsibility over from the State. The Commonwealth should not have countenanced that idea. Further, it was an attempt by the Commonwealth to reduce the standards that apply to people in the workplace. A person could be treated harshly and oppressively and, if he or she fell within that category, he or she would have no right to unfair dismissal action. From what has happened in the past few days, in Tony Abbott’s dealings with One Nation and how he did the footwork for the Prime Minister and then tried to cover up, we are starting to see what he is about. This legislation is a very clear example of what Tony Abbott was trying to do in the federal Parliament to make sure that ordinary working men and women in this State had their rights ripped away by this federal Liberal Government, which does not give a fig about standards and looking after ordinary working men and women in this nation.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. I am pleased that the Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 did not pass through the Senate recently. It was made very clear that we totally opposed this attempt by the federal Government to take over an area of state jurisdiction in respect of unfair dismissals, using the corporations law. There was a clear agreement between the Commonwealth and the States that it would not use corporations law to take over state areas of responsibility in both industrial relations and environmental areas. The federal minister, Tony Abbott, thought he would be a bit tricky and, if he could lower standards in the workplace, he could ensure that people had no right to claim unfair dismissal if they were employed by small businesses that were caught by corporations law. This was just one way of taking that responsibility over from the State. The Commonwealth should not have countenanced that idea. Further, it was an attempt by the Commonwealth to reduce the standards that apply to people in the workplace. A person could be treated harshly and oppressively and, if he or she fell within that category, he or she would have no right to unfair dismissal action. From what has happened in the past few days, in Tony Abbott’s dealings with One Nation and how he did the footwork for the Prime Minister and then tried to cover up, we are starting to see what he is about. This legislation is a very clear example of what Tony Abbott was trying to do in the federal Parliament to make sure that ordinary working men and women in this State had their rights ripped away by this federal Liberal Government, which does not give a fig about standards and looking after ordinary working men and women in this nation.
I am pleased that the Workplace Relations Amendment (Termination of Employment) Bill 2002 did not pass through the Senate recently. It was made very clear that we totally opposed this attempt by the federal Government to take over an area of state jurisdiction in respect of unfair dismissals, using the corporations law. There was a clear agreement between the Commonwealth and the States that it would not use corporations law to take over state areas of responsibility in both industrial relations and environmental areas. The federal minister, Tony Abbott, thought he would be a bit tricky and, if he could lower standards in the workplace, he could ensure that people had no right to claim unfair dismissal if they were employed by small businesses that were caught by corporations law. This was just one way of taking that responsibility over from the State. The Commonwealth should not have countenanced that idea. Further, it was an attempt by the Commonwealth to reduce the standards that apply to people in the workplace. A person could be treated harshly and oppressively and, if he or she fell within that category, he or she would have no right to unfair dismissal action. From what has happened in the past few days, in Tony Abbott’s dealings with One Nation and how he did the footwork for the Prime Minister and then tried to cover up, we are starting to see what he is about. This legislation is a very clear example of what Tony Abbott was trying to do in the federal Parliament to make sure that ordinary working men and women in this State had their rights ripped away by this federal Liberal Government, which does not give a fig about standards and looking after ordinary working men and women in this nation.
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