A SERIES of working groups are set to commence following the Morrison Government’s first industrial relations reform roundtables being held in Sydney last week.
Australian Resources and Energy Group AMMA welcomed the plan to bring stakeholders together to tackle the nation’s key industrial relations issues.
It follows Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in his National Press Club address (26 May) that industrial relations working groups would tackle a number of issues, including award simplification, enterprise agreement making, casual employment, greenfields (new projects) agreements, and compliance and enforcement.
In a statement, Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Christian Porter, said he will joined by key stakeholders from employer, industry and employee groups to map out the working group consultation process that will take place over the next four months – as outlined by the Prime Minister in his speech to the National Press Club last month.
Attorney General and Minister for Industrial Relations Christian Porter
“As the Prime Minister said, it is critical that all sides of the debate lay down their arms and commit to work together during this process to find ways to get our economy moving again and urgently regrow the jobs so many Australians have lost as a result of COVID-19,” the Attorney-General said.
The first roundtable was held on 3 June with attendees receiveinga detailed economic briefing from the Department of the Treasury as well as hearing from other government officials about the scale of the sector by sector challenge now being faced to regrow jobs and chart a path to economic recovery.
They will also be consulted on the make-up, forward agenda and operating arrangements for the five reform committees which will each focus on one key area of the IR system, including:
- Award simplification
- Enterprise agreement making
- Casuals and fixed term employees
- Compliance and enforcement; and
- Greenfields agreements for new enterprises
The committees will be chaired by the Attorney-General and will have a maximum of 15 members who will bring practical experiences to the table about how the IR system works. Each working group will also have the ability to draw upon an agreed pool of external industry experience and subject matter experts. Working groups will be supported by a secretariat including senior officials from Treasury and Finance who will assist the committees to accurately cost the beneficial impacts of any proposals.
The process is directed at committee members being potentially able to reach a consensus around policy proposals that the Government can then put into action, either by way of legislation, regulation, or via the budgetary process in October.
“The problems within each of the five areas we have chosen to focus on are well known and I am confident that if we can work cooperatively, an opportunity exists to make meaningful progress at developing solutions that will make a significant difference to how quickly we can recover from this crisis,” the Attorney-General said.
“While participants will no doubt want to raise other issues outside of the five priority areas, all participants will be encouraged to leave the traditional ‘shopping wish lists’ at the door and focus on getting results that can be achieved in the shortest possible timeframe.”
The Attorney-General said ACTU Secretary Sally McManus and President Michele O’Neil will lead the union delegation, with employers and industry represented by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ai Group, the Business Council of Australia, AMMA) the Chamber of Minerals and Energy (WA) and Master Builders Australia.
One of the vehicles of this consultation process will be the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council (NWRCC) of which AMMA’s Chief Executive Steve Knott AM is the longest serving member.
Steve Knott, CEO of Australian Resources and Energy Group AMMA
“There can only be upside in bringing everyone together in an endeavour to find common ground. At the end of the day we are all about retaining, improving and creating employment,” Mr Knott said.
“In Australia’s resources and energy sector, there is an unrelenting drive to retain highly-valued, highly-paid roles and improve existing pay and conditions. The industry also is grasping the opportunity of creating as many new jobs as we possibly can, both in post-pandemic recovery and in the long term.
“Reforming greenfields agreements is especially important given there is $100 billion worth of major projects advanced in Australia’s investment pipeline. The international competition for this investment capital will be ever fiercer as governments around the world embark on their own stimulus packages.
“This is an area of advocacy AMMA has led for over a decade, and must be the first cab off the rank.”
For 102 years, industrial relations and other employment policy areas has been AMMA’s recognised area of expertise. In keeping with this history, AMMA is regularly consulted by Australian Governments and other stakeholders on a broad number of industrial relations and workforce matters.
In addition to being a key industrial relations advocate in its own right, AMMA is also a member of the nation’s largest and most representative business organisation, the Australian Chamber, and holds a place on its Board of Directors.
Mr Knott notes four of the five areas noted by the Prime Minister align with priorities in AMMA’s Post-Pandemic IR Reform Framework, recently provided to Mr Morrison and the Minister for Industrial Relations, Christian Porter.
The fifth area, compliance and enforcement, has been another longstanding area of advocacy, with AMMA having no tolerance for any party breaking Australia’s workplace laws.
“Needless to say the needs of Australia’s critical resources and energy industry will be clearly articulated to the government throughout this process. We will approach this in the right spirit of cooperation, as we expect others to do, to see what can be achieved,” Mr Knott says.
In addition to the industrial relations working groups, AMMA will continue to play a significant role in guiding skills and VET reform, with its Director Operations Tara Diamond being the Commonwealth-appointed member of the Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC).
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