Harry Jenkins (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, to curry favour with you—and also, because the people I represent in the northern suburbs are probably more likely to barrack for Collingwood than Geelong—I indicate that Collingwood might have some luck on Friday, although my heart and head say Geelong. Today I wish to present some petitions under standing order 209B that I received after the cut-off for petitions later today. The first is from 99 petitioners who urge the House to call on the Howard government to end the 11 years of delay, denial and inaction on climate change; ratify the Kyoto protocol; drive a clean energy revolution by substantially increasing the mandatory renewable energy target; invest in clean energy research and development; and help Australian families to green their homes. It is no use having aspirational targets without having underpinning targets as goalposts.

Also, I wish to table a petition from eight petitioners to add to the 9,000 from the member for Banks about rights at work. These people ask the House to ensure that the government upholds Australians’ rights at work. It draws attention to their opposition to the government’s plans to move employment conditions from awards, change the way minimum wages are set to make them lower and use individual contracts to undercut existing rights and conditions. This is going to be one of the bellwether issues of the upcoming election, and I think the government has underestimated the strength of feeling that people have about these matters. It will be one of the issues that decide the election because, without a change of government, Australians’ rights at work will not be defended. I hereby present the petitions.

The petition read as follows—

Petition to the Honourable Speaker and. Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House the Howard Government’s eleven years of delay, denial and inaction on climate change. Your petitioners therefore request the House to call on the Howard Government to:

• End the eleven years of delay, denial and inaction on climate change.
• Ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
• Drive a clean energy revolution by substantially increasing the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target and investing in clean energy research and development.
• Help Australian families to green their homes.

From 99 citizens.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable Speaker of the House and Members of the House assembled in Parliament:

The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws the attention of the House to the fact that Australians should have basic rights at work, including decent minimum wages and awards conditions, protection from unfair dismissal and the right to reject AWA individual contracts and negotiate collectively with their employer.

The petitioners also draw the attention of the House to the fact that we oppose the Howard Government’s plans to:

• Remove employment conditions from awards.
• Change the way minimum wages are set to make them lower.
• Use individual contracts to undercut existing rights and conditions.
• Keep unions out of workplaces and reduce workers’ negotiating and bargaining rights.
• Abolish redundancy pay and protection from unfair dismissals for the 3 million people who work in small businesses
• Reduce the powers of the independent Industrial Relations Commission to settle disputes and set fair minimum standards at work.
• Take away rights at with laws that unilaterally override and weaken State industrial relations systems, awards and agreements.

The petitioners therefore ask the House to ensure that the Government upholds Australians’ rights at work and does not implement these plans that we oppose.

From eight citizens.