Fed: Draft laws phasing out AWAs to be ready by February

AAP General News (Australia)
12-02-2007
Fed: Draft laws phasing out AWAs to be ready by February

By Maria Hawthorne, Max Blenkin and David Crawshaw

CANBERRA, Dec 2 AAP - Draft laws phasing out the Australian Workplace Agreements hated
by the union movement will be ready in time for the opening of federal parliament next
February.

But unfair dismissal laws will remain unchanged until the middle of next year, incoming
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.

Ms Gillard, who will be sworn in along with the rest of the Rudd ministry tomorrow,
said cabinet would consider the transition bill before Christmas.

"We will have our transition bill for the opening of parliament next year," Ms Gillard
told the Ten Network.

"And the transition bill is a very simple one - it will end the ability of employers
to make Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs)."

AWAs were introduced by the Howard government as its first major industrial relations
reform within months of winning power at the 1996 election.

But they have been bitterly opposed by the unions ever since, although they have been
credited with introducing greater flexibility and higher pay in some sections of the workforce,
particularly the West Australian mining sector.

Ms Gillard conceded a second substantial piece of legislation reinstating unfair dismissal
laws, delivering on the rest of Labor's election promise, would take longer.

"We will get that into the parliament as soon as it can be done. Obviously we want
to draft it in a consultative way including having an exposure draft so that will take
a number of months," she said.

"People should anticipate seeing that in the parliament in the first half of next year."

Ms Gillard, whose portfolios include employment and workplace relations, said Labor
could not undo Work Choices overnight.

"We want to get it right first time and take the time necessary to do that. But from
that piece of legislation on, Work Choices will be over," she said.

New Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson says the coalition will wait until it sees the
legislation before deciding whether to support it.

With a new poll showing a majority of people believe Work Choices was the main reason
the coalition lost last weekend's election, Dr Nelson said he had got the message on the
unpopular policy.

"We know there are a number of lessons from the election. One of them is a significant
number of Australians chose to vote for Mr Rudd on the basis of what they understood Work
Choices was about," Dr Nelson told ABC television.

"I have got that message. We have got the message.

"We also think it is very important that we don't do anything to reduce the chance
of any of our kids or any of us being able to get a job or keep a job."

Dr Nelson said there would have to be a significant discussion with parliamentary colleagues
before the opposition adopted any position, but denied he was having a bet each way.

Ms Gillard said the coalition needed to be reminded that the people had spoken.

"This wasn't a marginal part of the last election campaign. It was a key part of the
election campaign," she said.

"We'd ask for the will of the Australian people to be honoured."

Meanwhile, Workplace Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson has warned employers not to pressure
workers into signing AWAs ahead of their abolition.

"Placing undue pressure on a worker to sign an AWA is unfair, utterly unlawful and
will not be tolerated," Mr Wilson said.

"The community expects that workers will be treated fairly and employers are warned
that the Workplace Ombudsman will not hesitate to prosecute those who apply or attempt
to apply such pressure on workers."

AAP mfh/jt/jlw

KEYWORD: WORKPLACE NIGHTLEAD

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