Senator Eric Abetz

The Government’s belated announcement of the Fair Work Act review leaves out the vital ingredients of productivity and flexibility according to the Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Senator Eric Abetz.

“The reviewing body appears to be skewed but at the end of the day the proof will be in their review,” Senator Abetz said today.

“The review’s terms of reference seem similarly skewed without any reference to productivity, the plight of small business and the need for genuine flexibility. The terms of reference studiously avoid the increase in industrial disputation and decrease in productivity as shown by the Government’s own figures.”

“The Government cannot hide behind the general terms of reference and pretend they are dealing with these vital issues of productivity and flexibility in general terms because they will need to then explain why the specific terms were seen as so important – such as ‘the promotion of…representation at work’.”

“We were promised the details of the review by the end of November so that people could start considering their submissions well before Christmas.”

“To announce the review in the week before Christmas will mean that a lot of people won’t hear about it and won’t be able to get started on a submission thus denying participants a good four weeks of the review time.”

“Further, people wishing to submit will not be able to do so in the absence of the release of the background paper which will invite stakeholders to submit. Clearly this paper won’t be released by the commencement date of the review namely 1 January 2012,” Senator Abetz concluded.