Page 2375 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 June 1994
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I agree with Mr Moore. This is a matter that should be dealt with in an administrative way. It is not an appropriate matter to be included as a statutory requirement at all. It has been in place in the past. It did not need statutory blessing then. It does not need it now. I made the point that, instead of talking about management standards, it should refer to the commissioner. The commissioner is quite capable of setting up an internal consulting body. I am sure that he will. He does not need the statutory prescription to allow him to do it. He will do it anyway. It has nothing to do with any like or dislike of the trade unions. It is simply a matter of whether it is appropriate to include this sort of thing in a statute or not. I do not believe that it is. Mr Moore obviously agrees with me. But the Chief Minister cannot accept that for what it is - simply an opinion.
MR LAMONT (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Housing and Community Services, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (4.52): Probably I am one of the few people here who have had the opportunity to participate in the considerations of the Joint Council of the Australian Public Service about matters going not only to the substance of issues but also to the participants of joint council. One of the complaints about this provision in the Bill is that it is not prescriptive; it does not provide for who they are. In fact, joint council does not do that. In fact, it allows for change to occur. It recognises that change will occur and - - -
Mr Kaine: It says that the membership will be as prescribed, Minister. Read your own Bill.
MR LAMONT: Your complaint just now was, as I understood it - - -
Mrs Carnell: We do not know who is on it.
MR LAMONT: That is right.
Mrs Carnell: It says that it has to be prescribed.
MR LAMONT: That is right.
Mr De Domenico: Who is on it? Where is it prescribed?
MR LAMONT: It will be able to be prescribed in such a way as to ensure that the philosophy of having a joint council is achieved. I believe that it is an appropriate way to proceed to set up a quite clear and definitive process within the Act and then to allow it to be adaptive to the needs of the service. It may very well be that particular organisations, as an example, may take exception to the Trades and Labour Council and pull out of the Trades and Labour Council. So they would not be represented under the broad umbrella of the Trades and Labour Council. But they should, as employees in the service and trade unions with awards that cover the service, be represented on joint council. What is being proposed is a mechanism which will allow that type of flexibility. That is responsible.
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