Australian Financial Review, Australia 09 Aug 2018, by David Marin-Guzman

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Howard urges action on 'unfinished' IR reform David Marin-Guzman struction union and regulating internal Workplace correspondent union activities. Mr Howard told the dinner that by Former prime minister John Howard, the time he was defeated in 2007, his speaking at a dinner attended by senior government had created the economic government ministers, has called on the climate for low strike levels, 3.9 per cent Tumbull government to take action on unemployment and steady real wage workplace reform and resist the steady growth "in part because of our commit- re-regulation of the labour market ment to industrial relations reform". Mr Howard told a closed event cele- brating the centenary of the Australian He said the economy had now Mines and Metals Association last achieved "a trade-off between subdued Wednesday that the country had gone real wage rises against higher unemploy- backwards on industrial relations and ment" but warned that could not con- that the Turnbull government was not tinue for long. "The reality is if wage rises remain doing enough to fix it John Howard called for a "freer system". While he "saluted" the Coalition's res- subdued or non-existent you do pro- toration of the Australian Building and duce what can only be called a very Construction Commission, he warned grumpy and discontented, irritable that "many of the other changes brought middle-class who see the value of then- in by the [Rudd and Gillard] Labor gov- wages remain subdued and although ernment have not been addressed". their job security may be higher, that is "If s almost as if the collective polit- in a sense taken for granted." ical community in this country is now The speech praised the waterfront scared to talk about industrial relations reforms achieved in the Patrick dispute reform," he said. "But there will be a with the maritime union in 1998. Mr time when this country will have to Howard said they were the result of a gov- turn to the industrial relations agenda. ernment that had "the courage to bring "There will be a time when much of about reform" and an employer who was the re-regulation we've seen over the "willing to put his hand in the flame". last few years will begin to grate. He said the country needed a "a freer, "There will be a time when we will more open industrial relations system" have to resist the attempts of many in and that "reforming our workplace sys- the community to impose still further tem is always unfinished business". regulation and strangle the activities of "Unfortunately there is a lot more to our entrepreneurs." be done now because of the re- The Melbourne dinner was attended regulation that has undertaken by a by Attorney-General Christian Porter, number of governments, particularly Minister for Financial Services Kelly the Rudd government and the Gillard OTJwyer and Minister for Resources government" he said. Matt Canavan, as well as Liberal back- "If s rather like being engaged in a benchers Tim Wilson and former never-ending foot race - you never get industrial relations minister Eric Abetz. to the finishing line but you know if you Victorian unions protested against stop running your competitors are going to surge past you." the event at the time, erecting giant NR AFRGA1A003 inflatables including a cigar-chomping, [Workplace reform] moneybag-clutching "Fat Cat". The speech comes as Labor and the is rather like being in ACTU are pushing an ambitious indus- a never-ending race. trial relations agenda before the next John Howard, former PM federal election and unions are calling for a return to industry-wide bargain- ing. However, the Turnbull government has so far laid low on workplace reform outside of confronting the militant con-