Kieran Gilbert
Now, for more on the Government’s Industrial Relations Bill, which passed through the Lower House earlier today, I’m joined live in the studio by the Shadow Workplace Relations Minister Michaelia Cash. Michaelia Cash, thanks for your time. There were a number of the Teal Independents that voted with the Coalition today. Are you getting any signals that you might get a similar sort of support from the Independents in the Senate?
Senator Cash
Well, the Senate process will obviously work through that process with the minor parties in the Senate over the next few weeks. But what we saw today was, against the wishes of every single business group in the country – and I don’t think, Kieran, I’ve ever seen this before – all employer groups in Australia, the BCA, the AI Group, ACCI, the Minerals Council, the National Farmers Federation, and even the Council of Small Businesses of Australia, they issued a joint statement and they said this Bill should not go through the Parliament and that if it does, it will have a detrimental impact on Australia. So what you saw today was the Government literally tabled thirty pages of amendments; over 150 amendments to their Bill, and they’re still going to amend it over the next few weeks. What the Government needs to do is just pause, withdraw the legislation, and go and consult properly, in particular with the job creators of this country.
Kieran Gilbert
What’s the fundamental problem when it’s been described as compulsory, the multi employer bargaining? Is that the fundamental issue as you see it? Because from looking at it from where I’m sitting, the bill seems to be, is it not the same rules as enterprise bargaining?
Senator Cash
It’s not, and that’s the whole point. So currently, at the moment you can negotiate with your workplace for an enterprise agreement, and you do that voluntarily, you agree to do it, and you know that if industrial action is taken, you’ve actually agreed that that would be taken. What will now happen is businesses who have never negotiated before, but in particular with other businesses, will actually be forced to the bargaining table even if they don’t want to. So when you’ve got competitors bargaining together, knowing each other’s confidential information, smaller businesses who don’t want to be part of the process dragged into that process. Listen to the businesses in Australia.
Kieran Gilbert
Is that true? Correct me if I’m wrong, but that is if a majority of the workforce votes in favour of that?
Senator Cash
So business themselves may not want to be part of this process. Why? They don’t have the time, they don’t have the money, they don’t have the resources to actually negotiate with the much bigger businesses they could be forced into bargaining with. But again, this has been such a rushed process. When all of the business groups, the job creators of this country – Governments don’t create jobs, businesses do, industry does, employers do – when they stand up united and say this bill will have a detrimental impact on Australia, this bill will result in more strikes, more strikes can only lead to job losses, pull the bill, it’s bad for Australia.
Kieran Gilbert
Do you accept though that those that have enterprise bargaining agreements already cannot be roped into multi employer bargaining?
Senator Cash
Absolutely, and they are the bigger businesses in Australia. Because the majority of businesses who have enterprise agreements are either the public service or big business in Australia. They are already in the system, and they are willingly, voluntarily in the system. This throws all of that out. And in particular, the angst and distress across Australia in those small businesses at the moment cannot be underestimated. But remember Kieran, one of the things this Bill also does is abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission. And as we’ve already seen in the papers of late, John Setka, the CFMMEU, they are incredibly happy. So they also abolished the building industry watchdog and literally hand our building industry back to the most militant union in Australia. That is also not good for jobs or the economy.
Kieran Gilbert
Is it a problem as you see it, small business would have an avenue to strike agreements through the multi employer approach, if they choose to voluntarily?
Senator Cash
Okay, small business can already do that if they want to. But normally, what is at the heart of a small business is sitting down with their employees and negotiating what is in the best interests of the employer and the employee. This will all be thrown out and they will literally, as I’ve said to you before, get to know your local union official very well. But Kieran another interesting fact is, as you’ve known, we’ve had Senate Estimates. I put to the department and the Minister, the Prime Minister says this is all about getting wages moving, so I asked, when will wages get moving? They actually said they don’t know. I asked whose wages will get moving? They were unable to answer that question. I asked if this Bill goes through, by how much will wages increase? They were unable to say, and then they had to admit they have done no modeling at all on this Bill. And again, when you have employers, the job creators of this country, stand up united with one voice and say this bill is bad for the economy, bad for jobs and will only result in more strikes, if you were dinkum about economic productivity, etc., you would pull this bill as fast as you can.
Kieran Gilbert
Michaelia Cash, appreciate your time as always.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you.
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