Sky News Credlin
Topics: ‘Same Job, Same Pay’, WA politics
31 May 2023
E&OE.
Credlin
The related issue here, and I mentioned it before, industrial relations, Labor is going to push on with its ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ policy. They want the legislation through by the end of this year. This will be the second tranche of wide reaching IR reforms. The first time around, of course, a lot of the industry, to their own detriment I might add, gave gave no pushback to Labor. This time, we’re hearing signals that they’re going to put up a fight. Now, how much is this going to cost business? Well a lot, but also you, the taxpayer, because here’s something that’s interesting. Workplace Relations Minister, Tony Burke, he’s refusing to come clean about the detailed impact this policy, ‘Same Job, Same Pay’, will have on the public service. Now this matters, because in a recent audit of the public service, labor hire workers had reached 54% of the APS. This is 2021-2022. And that’s a cost to you as taxpayers of $20 billion dollars. That will go up once this legislation, if this legislation passes. At the same time, the unions are putting out a big ad blitz to push you to support this legislation. Joining me now Liberal Senator, former Employment Minister Michaelia Cash. Michaelia, welcome, you know this area inside out. It’s going to hit business, these changes, but also the public service.
Senator Cash
And Peta, it’s great to be with you. And in relation to the public service, it would be nice if Mr. Burke would actually front the Australian people and tell them: are his same job, same pay laws going to apply to the public service? Because yesterday in estimates, when I asked that very simple question, I would have thought, of the representative minister and the department, guess what, they couldn’t give me an answer. I would have thought Peta, if it’s good enough to impose on the private sector, then quite frankly, it’s good enough to impose on the public sector, because to quote Mr. Albanese, ‘Same Job, Same Pay’. It’s not that complex. But as you and I know, Peta, it absolutely is. And based on, to date, what employers are saying, and I refer to BHP in particular, and the cost estimates they have put forward, you are right, the Australian taxpayer, they are in for a hefty bill.
Credlin
How much of this is about pushing people off individual labor hire contracts and into union membership?
Senator Cash
You have absolutely hit the nail on the head. Everything this government does in the industrial relations space is about increasing union membership, which as you know, it’s about 8% of the private sector workforce. But what this government hates more than anything, is any form of work that can’t be controlled by a union. It hates diversity in employment. It hates flexibility in employment. And God forbid, Peta, you want choice in employment, you actually want to be an independent contractor, you want to work for yourself, well guess what? You’re of no use to the government and you certainly have no use to the union movement, because they can’t unionise you. So this is just an ideological piece of legislation from a government that just hates any form of work that can’t be unionised. But the issue, Peta, with that is, it’s going to have massive productivity implications for Australia. And when you see businesses screaming out, and as you and I know, businesses create jobs, governments don’t. They put in place policy frameworks, and businesses and employers across Australia are saying to the government, these policies are actually going to have an impact both on productivity and jobs. And I’d be listening to the businesses if I was Mr. Burke and Mr. Albanese.
Credlin
Look, I saw something come up this afternoon, I thought was pretty interesting. I’ll get a comment from you. APRA, this is the Prudential Regulator, for people at home that don’t follow the acronyms as closely as we do, they have launched a formal investigation into the millions and millions of dollars that flows from industry super funds to the unions. And we know often it goes from the union’s then to the Labor Party in the way of election donations. We’re talking about $9 million over the last financial year. What do you think about this?
Senator Cash
Well look, I heard that today as well. And I actually welcome this investigation. In the first instance, it doesn’t matter who you are as a superannuation fund, you need to act in the best financial interests of your members. So let’s just say we accept that. The next question that then has to be asked is how is funneling $9 million of members money to our union or to the union movement in the best interest of its members? So I welcome this investigation. I think a little bit of transparency and shining the light on these industry super funds. But asking them the questions and getting the answers is what the Australian people need. And I’d say to any person out there who’s a member of an industry super fund and didn’t know, you know, that your money, $9 million of it, it was actually going to the unions. You may actually want to speak up.
Credlin
Just before we go, you’re a WA Senator, Roger Cook, he will now be the new Premier as of Friday. What can you tell us about him?
Senator Cash
Well, I have to say it’s an interesting one, because we’ve got Mr. Cook. He’s the former Health Minister that Premier McGowan himself sacked from the health portfolio because he actually was destroying the health system in Western Australia. So the man that former Premier McGowan sacked as health minister is actually now running our state, the man that Mr. McGowan would not appoint as Treasurer is now running our state. But I have to say, look, what’s so interesting about this paper is it’s not the members of the Labor Party who actually chose their next leader. It’s not the members of Western Australia. Did you love it today? All of the meetings with the various unions, numbers being done here, numbers being done there. Mr. Cook’s own union didn’t want him, they wanted the other candidate. And that just highlights the unions control Western Australia because they control the Labor Party, and they control who is the next person to lead our state.
CredlinÂ
I’ll leave it there Michaelia Cash. Thank you.
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