Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Work Choices legislation will deliver no choice to many Australian workers. Today we have heard about Annette Harris, who will receive $90 a week less if she signs the Spotlight AWA. And we have heard the Prime Minister’s response: everyone has to make sacrifices for the economy. I say that is not good enough. Nor was the attempt by Wyong Shire Council to use the Work Choices legislation to deliver lower wages and diminish conditions to the Wyong Shire Council waste service workers.

Let me background the House on the issue. Wyong Shire Council provided waste services for Wyong Shire Council residents. Gosford City Council provided waste services for Gosford residents. It was determined—and a very good decision it was—that a company should be given the contract to provide waste management services to the whole of the Central Coast. The tender document that went out had in it wages and conditions that were far below those that the workers currently receive. Currently staff are paid at approximately $22 a hour. Under the new federal Work Choices legislation, this has the potential to become $12.75 per hour. These workers will lose their job security and will have to reapply for their jobs under the contract.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Rubbish!

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the minister had listened, he would know what I was talking about. The staff at Wyong Shire Council advised one of the councillors, in representing the views of the workforce—he was talking to them about the views of the workers—that in light of the new federal IR legislation—this is council management, Wyong Shire Council management—it could be potentially illegal to include clauses that would circumvent this legislation and that would prescribe conditions and entitlements that are more stringent than the federal government’s IR legislation. That may be legal. To the rescue came Councillor Warren Welham. Last night in Wyong Shire Council he moved:

1. That Council notes that an experienced, well trained workforce is essential to the delivery of high-quality waste services to the residents of Wyong Shire Council.

That is something that every member of this House would agree with. The motion continued:

2. That Council postpone the closing date of Tenders for the collection of waste and recoverable resources for Gosford City Council and/or the collection of waste and recoverable resources for Wyong Shire Council to allow council to explore ways in which it can protect the job security, entitlements, wages and working conditions of the existing workforce.

It was lucky for the workers who are currently employed by SM Services and who will be applying for their positions under the new contract that will cover the Central Coast that they had Councillor Warren Welham, an ALP councillor; Councillor Kath Forster, an ALP councillor; Councillor Neil Rose, an ALP councillor; and the mayor, Councillor Graham, who saw the light. Councillor Graham has previously been a member of parties on the other side—never a member of the ALP—but is a person who saw that this is outrageous, that workers do not deserve to have their conditions diminished. Those people voted for this motion along with Councillor Veugen, who became confused and accidentally voted for it. But I will tell the House that every Liberal councillor of Wyong Shire Council voted for poorer conditions for the workers of Wyong Shire Council waste services. Every single Liberal Party councillor voted to have poorer conditions delivered to those workers who were employed to deliver waste services to the people of the Central Coast. (Time expired)