Fed: Reith vows to fight on business calls for new system

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-1999
Fed: Reith vows to fight on business calls for new system

CANBERRA, Dec 1 AAP - The business community has called for a complete rethink of Australia's
industrial relations system in the wake of the striking down of Workplace Relations Minister
Peter Reith's second wave of reforms.

The Australian Democrats yesterday all but shot down the so-called second wave laws.

The rejection places in limbo Mr Reith's goals of union secret ballots, a cutback on
unfair dismissal applications, restriction of union access to work sites and a tightening
of circumstances in which a strike can be held.

With Labor opposed outright to the bill, the Democrats' support in the Senate was vital.

The Democrats announced they would reject 13 elements of the bill, effectively leaving
in place only five uncontroversial schedules of the original 18.

A disappointed Mr Reith vowed to press on with the reforms, possibly breaking them
up into more bills for further consideration next year.

"I've been through all this before and last time it was very different for the Democrats,"

he said.

"Everybody said, well, it was a hopeless result ... and now, three years later, even
the Democrats are singing the value and benefits of the reforms that we then introduced.

"I think you really need to wait and see what we actually get."

He said he would have further talks with Senator Lees next week.

Business lobby group Australian Business said the Democrats and Labor's reaction to
the bill was predictable but disappointing.

Spokesman Jack Goluzd said it was time for a rethink of Australia's industrial relations system.

"What is now needed is for all the parties to revisit the needs of the Australian community
and to come up with an industrial relations system which will evolve, not one which is
subject to extreme pendulum change whenever there is a change of government," Mr Goluzd
said.

"Business needs certainty to encourage long-term investment.

"Business needs a stable investment climate of more than the three-year point-scoring
political cycle."

AAP daw/jnb/de

KEYWORD: INDUSTRIAL DAYLEAD

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.