JULIA GILLARD:
Can I say it’s been a great pleasure to be here today for the launch of the ANZ Championship and there’s a real sense of excitement as we approach the start of the netball season. As I revealed at the launch, I wasn’t much of a netballer when I was young, but it is tremendous to see this sport growing, to see it increasingly professionalising. I’m looking forward to this year’s competition involving Australia and New Zealand. And it’s been terrific to join Netball Australia today, players and coaches, sponsors and supporters, at the launch of this new season. It certainly is going to be netball like we’ve never seen it before.
On another matter, can I say today is an important day. It’s the first day since the Transition to Forward with Fairness ACT was proclaimed. That is, it’s the first day that as a result of the actions of the Rudd Labor Government, there will be no new Australian Workplace Agreements made. We came to Government, elected by the Australian people to get rid of Work Choices and to create a fair and balanced industrial relations system. The first part was to make sure there would be no new Australian Workplace Agreements; we’ve guaranteed that with new legislation that came into force at midnight. And today is the first day that no Australian worker needs to fear walking into their workplace, worried that they’re about to be confronted by an Australian Workplace Agreement, which rips away basic pay and conditions.
Can I say I think Australian working families want that sense of certainty: that they can walk into their workplaces and not get ripped off by an Australian Workplace Agreement. And I note that Dr Nelson, the Leader of the Liberal Party, is suggesting that sense of certainty should be taken away. Dr Nelson doesn’t seem to be coming clean with the Australian people about what he and the Liberal Party stand for on workplace relations. On the one hand he says ‘Work Choices is dead’ and then today he supports the thing that is at the heart of Work Choices - and that is Australian Workplace Agreements. He’s supporting the very thing that gives Work Choices life and blood. Well, Dr Nelson can’t have it both ways. He can’t say to the Australian people ‘Work Choices is dead’ and then commit to bringing back the very thing that gives Work Choices life; Australian Workplace Agreements.
And Dr Nelson must think the Australian people are pretty stupid if they can be fooled by changing the names of these agreements. These agreements are all about over-riding awards and the safety net. They’ve hurt Australian working families and it’s clear today that Dr Nelson and his Liberal Party, whatever they might say remain committed to Work Choices, and if they were ever given an opportunity then they’d bring it back.
I’m happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST:
Are you worried there are any employers who might try and sneak in and try to get Workplace Agreements signed in the next couple of days?
JULIA GILLARD:
If an Australian Workplace Agreement - if an employer gave an Australian worker an Australian Workplace Agreement today to sign, then that agreement would be invalid. Any worker who is put in that position should feel free to say to their employer that the new law is that there will be no new Australian Workplace Agreements. And if they were put under any pressure then they should ring the Workplace Ombudsman. Certainly when any agreement was sent into the Workplace Authority it would be rejected. There will be no new Australian Workplace Agreements.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think Dr Nelson’s comments yesterday about Glen Stevens undermined the independence of the Reserve Bank?
JULIA GILLARD:
Well, I think it’s easy for Dr Nelson to take a shot - what he doesn’t seem able to do is to come up with a solution. Australian working families are under pressure. They’ve been under pressure form rising interest rates. We’re in an interest rates environment like the one we have today because of inflationary pressures and it’s the government of which Dr Nelson was a part that has left Australia in this situation. His was a government that didn’t invest in the future. They didn’t invest in skills. They didn’t invest in infrastructure. They certainly splashed around a lot of government money and all of that has contributed to a high inflation environment that’s put pressure on Australian working families through higher interest rates and of course higher prices when they go to the shops. So Dr Nelson’s a man with a quick word about the performance of others, but he’s a man with no solutions.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think it’s a dangerous area for him to be commentating on?
JULIA GILLARD:
Well, the Reserve Bank Governor is independent and as an independent person he makes his own statements. We respect that. We have certainly guaranteed the independence of the Reserve Bank and better appointments mechanisms for the future so that independence will always be guaranteed. We respect what the Reserve Bank Governor says. We’ve made our position clear. A key job for this Government and a challenge that we are accepting is to create an environment where inflationary pressures are lessened. Both the Prime Minister and the Treasurer have been talking about our five point plan to fight inflation. We are delivering on that plan and the Treasurer is also delivering on making it easier for people to change banks if they think they aren’t getting the best possible deal. So the Government is acting in this area. Whilst we’re acting, of course Dr Nelson is complaining but he has no solution.
JOURNALIST:
Wouldn’t the government have thought it appropriate to ban political donations from everything?
JULIA GILLARD:
My colleague, Senator John Faulkner, today has announced an electoral disclosure reform package. This is the start of reform. We are going to have an extensive process to talk through the possibility of further changes. But we believe it’s important that donations are disclosed. So we have set a cap of $1000 for disclosure. We’re ensuring disclosure happens more quickly. We believe it is inappropriate for there to be donations from foreign companies and those rules have been made clear today.
JOURNALIST:
How will this be enforced?
JULIA GILLARD:
These rules will be enforced by the Australian Electoral Commission. Disclosure matters are dealt with by the Australian Electoral Commission. We’ve got to remind ourselves that the former Liberal government increased the threshold for donations to $10 000. Now that’s a lot of money. We believe donations should be disclosed. They should be speedily disclosed. We will bring the cap to $1000 and ensure donations are disclosed in a six month time-cycle. Australian elections are about the views of Australian citizens, Australian voters. And we believe it is inappropriate for foreign nations and foreign money to be involved in Australian elections.
JOURNALIST:
Are you also looking at regulating on MPs being paid to take trips for companies, to foreign countries?
JULIA GILLARD:
The Prime Minister dealt with this matter last week and said he would consider the matter. Of course we in the Parliament saw the spectacle of the Opposition raising some of these matters all of which have been on the public record for a considerable period of time.
JOURNALIST:
But that doesn’t come under the $1000 cap?
JULIA GILLARD:
No, that would be a different matter. Matters associated with Members of Parliament and their declarations are matters dealt with by the Parliament and by the government. Of course our electoral laws are matters enforced by the Australian Electoral Commission. One more.
JOURNALIST:
Economic forecaster Frank Gelber said that house prices could rise by as much as 40 per cent over the next five years, do you agree with that and what is the government doing to take this into account?
JULIA GILLARD:
I’m not making any predictions about what will happen in the housing market. But having lived through the last few years like every other Australian, of course we’ve seen big increases in house prices. That’s put pressure on Australian working families who have had to borrow record amounts. And it means that a lot of their income now goes out the door in mortgage repayments. We need to fight inflation and keep downwards pressure on interest rates. We also need to do what we can to help working families afford their own home. That’s why we’ve got our policy to create special savings accounts, to help people get together that all important home deposit. And why we are prepared to make some special investments to ensure there is more affordable housing developed. Thank you very much.
END