EWBARGO UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE MINISTER FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, THE HON JO: NT
STREET ( ON BEHALF OF THE PRIME MINISTER) TO THE WANNON
ELECTORATE, 18 NOVEMBER, 1979 A
HELLO, THIS IS TONY STREET, STANDING IN FOR MALCOLM FRASER, As
HIS ELECTORAL NEIGHBOUR, TONIGHT IT IS MY PLEASURE TO SPEAK TO
THE PEOPLE OF WANNON.
1Y RESPONSIBILITIES AS MINISTER FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TAKE
IN MANY AREAS, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF WHICH IS WAGES,
AT PRESENT THE CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION COMMISSION IS
HEARING WHAT I CONSIDER. TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT NATIONAL WAGE
CASE SINCE THE SYSTEM OF CENTRALISED WAGE FIXATION BEGAN IN
1975. FOR SOME TIME NOW THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ARGUING THAT WAGE
RESTRAINT IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT OF ECONOMIC RECOVERY. OUR
VIEW IS THAT EXCESSIVE WAGE INCREASES LEAD DIRECTLY TO
UNACCEPTABLE PRICE INCREASES, AND THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE ENJOY
ANY REAL GAIN OUT OF WAGE INCREASES, FURTHERMORE, THE FEW
GAINS THAT SOME PEOPLE GET ARE OFTEN AT THE PRICE OF OTHERS'
MISFORTUNE. 1
LABOUR IS LIKE MOST OTHER COMMODITIES IF THERE ARE LARGE AND
RAPID INCREASES IN ITS PRICE PEOPLE BUY LESS.
YET THAT IS PRECEISELY WHAT SOME PEOPLE DEMAND FOR THE COMMODITY,
IN THIS CASE LABOUR, AND THAT MEANS HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT.
NONETHELESS, THE GOVERNMENT BELIEVES THAT ALL PARTIES
GOVERNMENT, EMPLOYERS AND UNIONS HAVE TO ACCEPT THE DECISIONS
OF THE CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION COMMISSION AND OTHER
INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNALS. IN HANDING DO'WN IT'S LAST NATIONAL I'/ AGE
CASE DECISION, A FULL BENCH OF THE COMM1ISSION SAID THAT IT HAD
BEEN BROUGHT TO THE BRINK OF ABANDONING WAGE INDEXATION. IT
SAID THAT -THE ACTIONS AND ATTITUDES OF VARIOUS PARTICIPANTS IN
THE SYSTEM WERE INCOMPATIBLE WITH ITS EFFECTIVE OPERATION AND
THE SYSTEM WAS NOT WORKING, THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS CURRENT
HEARING SO IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF WAGE FIXATION.
WHILE ALL PARTIES STATED, AFTER THE LAST HEARING THAT THEY WERE
IN FAVOUR OF CENTRALISED WAGE FIXATION, ONLY THE COMMONWEALTH
GOVERNMENT HAS MADE A CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT TO RE-ESTABLISH THE..
CONSENSUS ON WHICH THE CURRENT SYSTEM ULTIMATELY RESTS, ONLY
THE COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN PREPARED TO MAKE
CONCESSIONS IN RETURN FOR: A COMMITMI. ENT FROM ALL PARTIES NOT TO
PURSUE OR GRANT WAGE CLAIMS OUTSIDE THE WAGE FIXATION
PRINCIPLES AND A REJECTION OF INDUSTRIAL ACTION IN SUPPORT OF
SUCH CLAIMS. 9II 3 I,
OUR PROPOSALS WERE IMMEDIATELY REJECTED BY THE LABOR PARTY AND
THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT WHO HAD NOTHING TO OFFER BETWEEN THEM
EXCEPT THE SAME TIRED OLD SELFISH VIEWS, IT IS PRECISELY THIS
SORT OF UNTHINKING STUBBORNESS WHICH HAS LED TO THE CURRENT
DIFFICULTIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
NOW, IN THE CURRENT HEARING, THE LABOR GOVERNMENT IN NEW SOUTH
WALES HAS ACCEPTED THAT THE COMMONWEALTH HAD INDEED MADE A
SIGNIFICANT MOVE TOWARDS CONSENSUS, IN PARTICULAR THEY HAVE
STATED THAT ALTHOUGH THEY PREFER QUARTERLY HEARINGS THEY COULD
LIVE WITH 6 MONTHLY HEARINGS IF THERE WAS AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT.
WIHILE WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAVE SAID VERY
CAREFULLY IT IS REFRESHING TO SEE A LABOR GOVERNMENT BEGINNING
TO THINK CONSTRUCTIVELY ABOUT HOW WAGE FIXATION SHOULD BE
CONDUCTED. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS FRESH APPROACH TO THE PROBLEMS HAS NOT BEEN
TAKEN UP BY THEIR COLLEAGUES IN THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT,
AT ITS FEDERAL CONFERENCE, THE LABOR PARTY GAVE UNDERTAKINGS TO
THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT THAT, IF ELECTED, IT WOULD SUPPORT
AUTOMATIC FULL INDEXATION EVERY THREE MONTHS, FURTHERMORE,
THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF STOPPING THERE. THIS CLEARLY IS A
MINIMUM ON WHICH THE UNIONS WITH INIDUSTRIAL MUSCLE WOULD BE
FREE TO BUILD TO GET EVEN LARGER WAGE INCREASES. .4
THE FEDERAL LABOR PARTY HAS TO MAINTAIN ITS DISCREDITED WAGES
POLICY NO MATTER WHAT THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, NO MATTER WHAT
THE-INFLATIONARY EFFECTS, AND NO MATTER WHAT THE RISKS IT MEANS
FOR THOUSANDS JOBS,
THE COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY SHOWN THAT IT IS
PREPARED TO BE FLEXIBLE. WE WILL NOT BE LOCKED INTO POLICIES
WHICH DO NOT MEET THE NEEDS OF THE TIMES, OUR AIM IS TO SEE
FIHATEVER WAGE INCREASES ARE AWARDED ARE CONSISTENT WITH
NATIONAL ECONOMIC NEEDS AND THAT INDUSTRIAL DISRUPTION IS KEPT
TO A MINIMUM.
WIE WILL CONTINUE TO ACT POSITIVELY AND CONSTRUCTIVELY IN ORDER
TO ACHIEVE THOSE AIMS,