AUSTRALIA’S national resource industry employer group, AMMA, welcomes the appointment of ministers and assistant ministers in portfolios critical to the future prosperity of the resource industry, and for jobs and opportunities across the Australian community.

“AMMA congratulates Michaela Cash and Josh Frydenberg on their appointments to the portfolios of Employment and Women, and Resources, Energy and Northern Australia respectively,” says AMMA executive director, policy and public affairs, Scott Barklamb.

“Minister Cash is very highly regarded by the resource industry for her consultative approach as Assistant Minister for Immigration and Assistant Minister for Women, and her appreciation of the importance of our industry to the national wellbeing.  She brings to the employment portfolio professional experience and a keen interest in workplace relations, which will be a great asset.

“Minister Cash takes on the portfolio at a time when the Productivity Commission is completing a once-in-a-generation workplace relations framework review, and AMMA looks forward to working closely with her on ensuring the system better supports growth, jobs and living standards.

“Increasing workforce gender diversity has also emerged as a key priority for resource employers, and AMMA appreciates the opportunity to continue our work with Minister Cash on bolstering women’s participation across the mining, oil and gas sectors.

“AMMA also looks forward to working closely with Minister Frydenberg as he takes on the important task of enhancing Australia’s reputation as a globally competitive destination for resources investment, and continuing the very positive work of Ian Macfarlane and his predecessors. 

“Unlocking greater productivity is one of the key challenges facing our nation, so AMMA welcomes Dr Peter Hendy being appointed as Assistant Minister for Productivity.”

AMMA also pays tribute to long-serving former ministers Eric Abetz and Ian Macfarlane for their support for the resource industry and unwavering commitment to strengthening the economy and lifting living standards of all Australians.

“Mr Abetz leaves the employment portfolio having successfully set Australia on a course to achieve a more modern and flexible workplace relations environment” Mr Barklamb says.

“AMMA thanks Mr Abetz for his commitment to essential reforms in often highly adversarial circumstances. The lasting value of his work will be seen in years to come”.

“Mr Macfarlane has been a dedicated and committed minister for industry, with a strong focus on delivering a framework that fosters the innovation and skills necessary for Australia to be recognised as a resources powerhouse well into the future.  His decades of work with and for the industry have made a very significant national contribution.

“AMMA wishes the outgoing ministers well and looks forward to working with the new Turnbull Ministry to ensure Australia’s resource industry is a more attractive and competitive place to invest and do business. This will ensure the resource industry can play a central role in maximising employment, growth and opportunities for all Australians.”

www.amma.org.au

ends

AUSTRALIA’S national resource industry employer group, AMMA (Australian Mines and Metals Association), has congratulated the three new appointees and one promoted member of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) announced today by the Turnbull Government.

"These four highly credentialed professionals are widely regarded for their legal expertise, business acumen and understanding of the complex range of workplace relations challenges facing Australian employers, employees, trade unions and employer organisations," AMMA chief executive Steve Knott said.

"They will contribute to strengthening and renewing the FWC and increasing the quality and relevance of its decisions.

"Having managed and advised on practical business and workforce outcomes across a range of industries, the new appointees will bolster the FWC with much needed ‘real life’ business experience and practical understanding of workplaces, employers and employees: 

• "Tanya Cirkovic is highly regarded across the legal and business communities for her expertise in workplace relations law, and the development of her own employment law practice. 

• "Tony Saunders is a highly regarded employment barrister with a sharp understanding of complex workplace relations matters who regularly represents clients in our highest tribunals and courts. 

• "Chris Platt is a highly experienced industrial relations professional having held senior positions in the resources and agribusiness industries, as well as representing small business. 

• "Geoff Bull, a current Fair Work Commissioner, has deservedly been promoted to Deputy President. This reflects the diligence and professionalism he has demonstrated within the FWC, and his experience advising on workplace relations matters across a range of sectors."

Mr Knott said, "Today’s appointments are an essential injection of practical expertise and capacity to work with employers into the FWC after the unashamed stacking of the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years, which saw 18 of 27 appointments came from narrow pool of union and Labor-affiliated candidates.

"They will bring competencies, experience and qualifications that will strengthen the FWC’s reputation and relevance, and support both employment and fair treatment for working Australians.

"AMMA and its members look forward to further appointments with proven and well-regarded experience in making critical commercial decisions and an understanding of what it means to run an organisation – from our smallest family businesses to major corporations."

In 2014, AMMA published an extensive analysis of the FWC’s composition and background of appointees under the former Labor Government.  This research can be accessed here.

www.amma.org.au

ends

DRAFT recommendations to improve Australia’s workplace relations framework contain some positive proposals but do not go far enough to tackle serious economic challenges facing our nation, resource industry employer group AMMA will tell a Productivity Commission (PC) hearing in Melbourne today.

Speaking in support of AMMA’s comprehensive reply to the PC’s Draft Report into Australia’s Workplace Relations Framework, AMMA executive director, Scott Barklamb, will highlight shortcomings in the PC’s response to addressing escalating problems with our workplace laws.

“Far from being ‘fit for purpose’ the current workplace relations system will not be able to buffer Australia against future challenges, nor allow employers and employees to seize the benefits of genuine flexibility and fairness,” Mr Barklamb says.

“While the draft report proposes improvements in key areas such as new project agreement making, the PC has taken an overly cautious approach, canvassing mainly technical amendments to the Rudd/Gillard Fair Work system, and leaving other areas in the too hard basket.

“It is very disappointing that the PC has largely focussed on repairing and tweaking existing arrangements, rather than considering what our laws need to do and how best they can operate.”

Mr Barklamb will encourage the PC to focus on key priorities for investors and employers, as part of a more fundamental examination of our workplace system and options for reform, including: 

• Ensuring workplace agreements focus on the direct relationship between employers and employees, and not extraneous issues, such as union wish lists.
• Ensuring that above a safety-net, employers and employees can progress their interests and contribute to the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises.
• Broadening agreement making options through of a range of collective (union, non-union, and greenfields) and individual statutory agreements.
• Ensuring strike action can only be taken as a last resort.
• Ensuring union ‘right of entry’ visits are reasonable and take due account of operational needs.
• Ensuring protections against unfair dismissal and adverse action are genuinely balanced.

“It is imperative for our workplace relations system to better support growth and jobs, and the PC has a responsibility to deliver recommendations for real change for the future,” Mr Barklamb says.

“AMMA looks forward to engaging further with the PC as it considers how our workplace relations framework can better equip Australia to tackle increasing economic pressures, and to seize opportunities for our future prosperity.”

Over the past two years, at least 149 major resource projects valued at a minimum $197 billion have failed to proceed in Australia.

KPMG research indicates that if key industrial relations reforms advocated by AMMA are implemented, they could add up to $30.9 billion to Australia’s GDP and create 36,000 extra jobs.

www.amma.org.au

ends 

THE Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) is disappointed that the State Government is acting to remove the ability of the state to grant 99 year leases in Victoria’s national parks, saying it will discourage much needed tourism investment.

“Reducing the maximum lease period in national parks from 99 to 21 years will discourage appropriate investment by the tourism industry and limit the development of the significant projects that Victoria needs to broaden access to our wonderful park experiences,” said VTIC Chief Executive Dianne Smith.

Ms Smith’s comments come as the National Parks Amendment (No 99 Year Leases) Bill 2015, limiting leases in national parks to a maximum of 21 years, is tabled in Parliament by the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, the Hon Lisa Neville MP.

“Nature-based products enable Victoria to better showcase our diverse natural and cultural beauty and are vital for our state’s visitors. Many competitor destinations such as Canada, New Zealand and Tasmania have been successful in achieving development that is sensitive to the local environment in partnership with the private sector, with strict controls on use and impact to foster sustainable tourism growth,” said Ms Smith.

“However, reducing maximum lease terms to anything less than 50 years will stifle development as industry will walk away from investing in Victoria.

“We call on the Parliament of Victoria to ensure this amendment is not passed, encouraging business to continue partnering to support our state’s outstanding nature-based tourism opportunities.

“VTIC will continue to work with industry and government to boost tourism investment in Victoria.”

The Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) is the peak body for Victoria’s tourism and events industry, providing one united industry voice. Tourism and events are growth industries for Victoria and contribute $19.6 billion to the state economy each year and employ more than 200,000 people.

vtic.com.au

enes

THE Infrastructure and Communications Committee will hold public hearings in Brisbane and Melbourne later this week as part of its Inquiry into the role of Smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure.

These hearings will allow the Committee to canvass the views of a broad range of expert witnesses from industry, universities and government.

Committee Chairman Jane Prentice MP (Ryan, Qld) said, “The Brisbane and Melbourne hearings of the Smart Infrastructure Inquiry will draw together experts from a range of fields and give the Committee a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding the use of Smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure in Australia.”

Hearing details

BRISBANE

Date: Thursday, 24 September 2015

Time: 1:00 pm–4:00 pm

Venue: Committee Room 3, Level 6, Parliamentary Annexe, Alice Street, Brisbane

Witnesses: Urban Circus (Submission 3), Queensland University of Technology (Submission 19), AECOM (Submission 21), Associate Professor Tan Yigitcanlar (QUT), and Bentley Systems (Submission 29).

MELBOURNE

Date:Friday, 25 September 2015

Time:8:00 am–3:00 pm

Venue:Legislative Council Committee Room, Parliament House, Melbourne

Witnesses: Victorian Government (Submission 24), Australian Academy of Science (Submission 5), Victorian Spatial Council (Submission 6), Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (Submission 13), City of Melbourne (Submission 35), Independent Project Analysis (Submission 11), Professor Keith Hampson, Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (by teleconference), Swinburne University of Technology (Submission 36), University of Melbourne (Submissions 17, 31 & 32) and IBM (Submission 2).

The public hearing will be webcast live at http://www.aph.gov.au/live

ends

COLLECTING and managing data is a key component of the infrastructure information revolution. How data is stored and accessed is a question that is vital to the productivity gains that smart infrastructure can bring.

Tomorrow, the Infrastructure and Communications Committee will meet with representatives of the National Archives of Australia.

In its submission, National Archives highlights how Smart ICT is transforming government and industry business models, resulting in the creation and collection of large volumes of data.

Smart ICT technologies include data analytics, optimisation, modelling and software systems, networked sensors, mobile device integration, and new ways of gathering data.

According to National Archives, “Data provides new insights into how infrastructure investments are made, how infrastructure is developed and deployed, maintained and used, what future infrastructure demands might be and where efficiencies might be gained. It also ensures the accountability of government and industry decision-making.”

Committee Chairman Jane Prentice MP (Ryan, Qld) said that collection, storage and accessibility of data have been identified as vital components in the development of smart infrastructure.

“The Committee’s role is to identify what government and industry can do to ensure data is collected and made available in forms that are useful and enduring, and that the data component of infrastructure lasts as long as the steel and concrete it supports,” Mrs Prentice said.

Hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Time: 8:00 am–9:00 am

Witness: National Archives of Australia

Venue: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

The public hearing will be webcast live at http://www.aph.gov.au/live

ends

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is calling on the new Turnbull Government Ministry to follow through on the commitments made to small businesses and tax reforms.

Key reforms include the introduction of a competition effects test and instatement of the zero value import threshold before July 2017.

ARA Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman, welcomed the announcement of the new Turnbull Government Ministry on Sunday, including the retention of Small Business in Cabinet with Kelly O’Dwyer to carry through these all important reforms.

“The surge in confidence expressed this week within business is reflective of the Government’s commitment to address issues including GST collection on overseas purchases and the possibility of real reform of competition policy,” said Mr Zimmerman.

Retailers are looking forward to the Government further lifting retail, consumer and business confidence through support for further GST reform, employment law reform and changes to the payments system recommended by the Financial Systems Inquiry (FSI).

“The ARA is pleased to see small business remains in the Cabinet, with the Assistant Treasury portfolio covering off many important areas for the retail sector, from the FSI payments reform to the Harper Review competition recommendations.

“It is now incumbent on the Turnbull Government to commence the task of implementing many of the recommendations which have been made in recent reviews from the Productivity Commission, Harper Review to the FSI,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“The 140,000 Australian independent retail business are demanding that the coalition bring in an effects test as per the recommendations of the Harper review, while a reduction in penalty rates for retailers is crucial in the upcoming Fair Work review."

With the new Turnbull Ministry now in place the ARA is reminding Ministers of the importance of role the retail sector as Australia’s largest private sector employer with more than 10 percent of the working population employed in the retail industry.

“The ARA looks forward to working with all key economic productivity Ministers, including Treasurer, Scott Morrison, Simon Birmingham through Education, Alex Hawke as Assistant Minister to the Treasurer, and Mathias Cormann in Finance.”

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $284 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

ends

VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone said VECCI congratulates the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP on his election to leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Australia following the Liberal party room ballot last night.

"Victorian business looks to Mr Turnbull to provide strong, stable leadership and get on with the job of governing," Mr Stone said.

"It is positive that Mr Turnbull has pledged to prioritise Australia’s economic growth through measures that boost business confidence and build an agile, innovative and creative nation. This is in-keeping with VECCI’s recommendations for the future prosperity of Victorian business.

"Business urges Mr Turnbull to progress reforms to raise productivity and increase flexibility in Australia’s workplace relations system; work with the States to fix the federation and undertake critical tax reform; advance the cause of free trade; and provide federal funding for vital infrastructure projects, such as the Melbourne Metro Rail Project," Mr Stone said.

"This agenda must be progressed as a priority given its significance to the Victorian economy and wider business community.

"As part of the united chamber movement VECCI looks forward to continuing to work constructively with the Federal Government and supporting business to capitalise on opportunities for growth in 2015 and beyond."

The Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is the most influential business organisation in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

vecci.org.au

ends