Prime Minister challenged to debate State's IR policies

10/10/95

Labour Relations Minister Graham Kierath has challenged Prime Minister Keating to debate the State's industrial relations policies.

"He is coming to Perth today to beat up his campaign of fear in the workplace," Mr Kierath said.

"I challenge the Prime Minister to debate these issues with me - on radio, television or in public.

"However, I doubt whether he will accept, because he knows I can debunk everything he has been saying about Western Australia."

Mr Kierath said that in recent weeks, both the Prime Minister and Federal Industrial Relations Minister Brereton had used spurious 'case histories' of WA employees allegedly exploited by rogue employers.

He said both cases had been investigated by the WA Department of Productivity and Labor Relations.

"One is non-existent and the other is without substance," the Minister said.

"I want to ask the Prime Minister if he supports the union blockade of WA next week.

"Mr Brereton does.

"So let us find out if Mr Keating wants to wreak havoc on the ordinary Western Australians he says he cares so much about.

"He will no doubt say that Prime Ministers do not debate State Ministers - but the real reason is that he knows he cannot win.

"I know what is going on locally. He does not."

Mr Kierath said that there was nothing sinister about the industrial reforms currently before State Parliament.

"They underpin the worker's freedom of choice - the only threat is to the power of union leaders," he said.

"By comparison, our workplace agreements bill was far more radical because it introduced an alternative to the award system.

"The new changes threaten what the unions euphemistically call political donations to the ALP.

"The other major change is the secret ballot.

"Only last week, the TLC secretary Tony Cooke said he had no objection to secret ballots, but he did not like our proposed framework.

"I have held regular meetings with Mr Cooke during the past two-and-a-half years and if he has a method of secret ballots which he wants to put to us, we will listen.

"Like the PM, I do not think Mr Cooke will be forthcoming.

"They are both architects of the ALP election strategy of warfare in the workplace.

"They see industrial relations as the election battleground and WA as very much part of that strategy."

Media contact:  Caroline Lacy 222 9595/ 481 2133