❓ Barnett questions Gallop about the impact of the Labour Relations Reform Bill on youth employment in tourism, hospitality, and retail, citing potential job losses due to increased wages. Gallop deflects, arguing the bill addresses exploitation and disadvantages under the previous government.
AnsweredQoN 803Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I remind the Premier that youth unemployment was more than halved under the previous coalition Government from a high of 34.5 per cent in 1992 to a low of 14.2 per cent in 2000. (1) Is the Premier aware that the Government’s Labour Relations Reform Bill will increase the average hourly wage payable to a 17-year-old who is casually employed in the hospitality industry in this State by around $3 an hour between Monday and Friday, $4 an hour on Saturdays and Sundays and $9.50 an hour on public holidays? (2) In view of that, will the Premier admit that these changes will result in a significant loss of job opportunities for the young people of Western Australia in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
(1) Is the Premier aware that the Government’s Labour Relations Reform Bill will increase the average hourly wage payable to a 17-year-old who is casually employed in the hospitality industry in this State by around $3 an hour between Monday and Friday, $4 an hour on Saturdays and Sundays and $9.50 an hour on public holidays? (2) In view of that, will the Premier admit that these changes will result in a significant loss of job opportunities for the young people of Western Australia in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
(2) In view of that, will the Premier admit that these changes will result in a significant loss of job opportunities for the young people of Western Australia in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
(1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
(1) Is the Premier aware that the Government’s Labour Relations Reform Bill will increase the average hourly wage payable to a 17-year-old who is casually employed in the hospitality industry in this State by around $3 an hour between Monday and Friday, $4 an hour on Saturdays and Sundays and $9.50 an hour on public holidays? (2) In view of that, will the Premier admit that these changes will result in a significant loss of job opportunities for the young people of Western Australia in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
(2) In view of that, will the Premier admit that these changes will result in a significant loss of job opportunities for the young people of Western Australia in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
(1)-(2) A couple of features of the former Government’s industrial relations laws are clear to everyone. The first is that vulnerable people in the labour market, particularly women, were very seriously disadvantaged. Young people were also disadvantaged by the former Government’s system, which was set up to that end. Members opposite have a very simple view of the world. The only way they think employment can be progressed is to push down wages. Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Mr Johnson: That is totally untrue. Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP: Can the member for Hillarys remind me of any occasions over the past decade when the coalition supported a general wage increase approved by the Industrial Relations Commission? Year in and year out, I sat in this Chamber when the former Government opposed wage increases for workers in the community. The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
The truth is that vulnerable workers in Western Australia were disadvantaged relative to those in the other States as a result of our industrial relations system. Western Australia has very strong resources and its people have many skills and capacities. I am convinced that the infrastructure we are putting in place to develop new jobs and opportunities will provide a strong framework for job opportunities for all Western Australians, not just some Western Australians. Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Mr Barnett: Answer the question. Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP: I am answering the question. The Leader of the Opposition’s vision of the future of this State is for its workers to be paid lower wages. Some people want other jurisdictions to set the standards for the Australian community. Some of the American States, for example, have horrific labour laws that make it very difficult for people to achieve a fair standard of living. If that is where the Opposition wants to take Western Australia - indeed, that is where it was taking Western Australia - Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Mr Barnett: Young people and their parents desperately want their kids to have a job so that they can earn an income to support their study and enter the work force. This Government will take us back to high rates of youth unemployment. That is the Premier’s responsibility for the young men and women of this State. Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Dr GALLOP: I will not be speaking out of turn to relay a conversation I had last week with a great former Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Bob Hawke. Last week when he was in Western Australia he spoke with some very close family members who have young children who are currently in the labour market. Mr Hawke said he had examined the Western Australia labour laws and had spoken about them to members of his family. They told him that they were very concerned about the extent to which the labour laws in this State allowed exploitation of our young people to occur. He hoped that I was doing something about it and I told him that the legislation we had introduced into Parliament would make the workplace fairer for our young people. The State of Western Australia is no longer a State of exploitation. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
The SPEAKER: It will be pointless continuing question time if members on their feet cannot answer the question.
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