Fed: Coalition no longer objects to axing of AWAs

AAP General News (Australia)
02-19-2008
Fed: Coalition no longer objects to axing of AWAs

By Peter Veness

CANBERRA, Feb 19 AAP - The federal coalition has done a backflip and will allow the
Rudd government to abolish Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs), a key plank of the
former Howard government's Work Choices laws.

Opposition workplace relations spokeswoman Julie Bishop used a 30 minute press conference
today to explain the coalition's policy U-turn.

The coalition had previously said it would fight to keep AWAs.

Ms Bishop denied she and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson had been rolled by shadow
cabinet colleagues or were influenced by government threats of a double dissolution if
the coalition-controlled Senate rejected Labor legislation.

"The coalition will not oppose the passage of Labor's workplace relations bill introduced
on the 13th of February through the house," she told reporters.

"I took a position to the shadow cabinet yesterday, that position was endorsed unanimously.

"I took the same position to the joint party room this morning and that position was
endorsed unanimously."

Ms Bishop denied that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's threat yesterday of a double dissolution
if the legislation was not passed had forced the opposition's hand.

"That (threat) is irrelevant to our considerations," she said.

"I've been working on this issue since last December. I have always reserved our final
position until we saw the legislation."

Ms Bishop said the opposition would propose an amendment to the government legislation
which bans future AWAs.

"We believe there is one amendment that can achieve that balance of flexibility and
fairness and that is this: Labor proposes to introduce a new form of individual contract
that enables employees and employers to directly negotiate over terms and conditions of
employment," she said.

"Labor also proposes to introduce a new no-disadvantage test and that this new no-disadvantage
test apply to all agreements including these individual agreements.

"The amendment I propose to move in the House (of Representatives) is that the nominal
expiry date of Labor's individual agreements of two years be extended to a nominal expiry
date of five years."

If Labor opposes the amendment, the opposition would still support the bill, Ms Bishop said.

"We will not oppose the bill, but we will move that amendment."

Ms Bishop said the opposition still supported a Senate inquiry into the legislation.

"Labor has not done any economic modelling or econometric analysis on the impact of
their bills," she said.

"This is information that the Australian public should know.

"I can't pre-empt the Senate committee but given what the coalition position is in
the house, you can have an expectation that there will be a similar position in the Senate,
subject to the Senate inquiry."

AAP pv/rl/jlw/sp

KEYWORD: WORKPLACE BISHOP LEAD

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