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3 April 1996 I 834 1Jlrgislatinr QInunril r Wednesday, 3 April 1996 I THE PRESIDENT (Hon Clive Griffiths) took the Chair at 2.30 pm, and read prayers. PETITION - HOMESWEST, KARA WARA REDEVELOPMENT Hon J.A. Scott presented the following petition bearing the signatures of four persons - To the President and Members of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned residents of Western Australia oppose the following aspects of the Homeswest proposed redevelopment to create single residential building lots for public auction in the eastern part of Karawara by: 1. Demolition of the Karawara Hall and Fun Factory (special playground for children). 2. Demolition of the three storey Homeswest flats which could be used for student accommodation by Curtin University. 3. Destruction of the remnant native vegetation (urban bushland comprising about 4 hectares of Banksia woodland) at Lot 690, Gillon Street, Karawara. Your petitioners. therefore respectfully request that the Legislative Council will request Homeswest to: 1. Retain the Karawara Hall and Fun Factory (special playground for children) in its present location. 2. Retain the three storey Homeswest flats for sale to Curtin University for use as student accommodation. 3. Retain the remnant native vegetation (urban bushland comprising about 4 hectares of Banksia woodland) at Lot 690, Gillon Street, Karawara for community use in the well developed City of South Perth which has little other remaining bushland. And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. [See paper No 213.] PETITION - REGIONAL PARK SOUTH OF GUILDERTON Hon George Cash (Leader of the House) presented a petition, by delivery to the Clerk, from 46 people requesting the Government to establish a regional park immediately to the south of Guilderton. [See paper No 208.] PETITION - REGIONAL PARK SOUTH OF GUILDERTON Hon J.A. Scott presented a petition, by delivery to the Clerk, from 116 people requesting the Government to establish a regional park immediately to the south of Guilderton. [See paper No 209.] PETITION - LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Hon J.A. Scott presented a petition, by delivery to the Clerk, from one resident of Western Australia requesting that affirmative action be effected in all local governments in Western Australia. [See paper No 210.] PETITION - PORT KENNEDY LAND CONSERVATION DISTRICT COMMIITEE PREMISES Hon J.A. Scott presented a petition, by delivery to the Clerk, from one resident of Western Australia concerned about commitments given in the Legislative Council indicating that the Port Kennedy Land Conservation District Committee would be able to use existing premises until new premises were provided. [See paper No 211.] PETITION - COOLBELLUP, URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF REMNANT BUSHLAND Hon J.A. Scott presented a petition, by delivery to the Clerk, from one resident of Western Australia opposed to the use of remnant bushland on the comer of Stock and Sudlow Roads, near Coolbellup, for urban development. [See paper No 212.] [Wednesday, 3 April 1996] 835 MOTION - URGENCY Importation of Labour THE PRESIDENT (Hon Clive Griffiths): I wish to advise members that I have received the following letter, dated 3 April 1996- Dear Mr President At today's sitting, it is my intention to move under SO 72 that the House, at its rising adjourn until 9.00 am on 25 December 1996 for the purpose of expressing concern at the importation of labour into Western Australia when 71 000 Western Australians are out of work. Yours sincerely ALANNAH MacTiERNAN MLC In order for this matter to be discussed it will be necessary for at least four members to indicate their support by rising in their places. [At least four members rose in their places.] HON A..J.G. MacTIERNAN (East Metropolitan) [2.39 pm]: I move - That the House at its rising adjourn until 9.00 am on 25 December. It is the subject of some notoriety that a Bassendean company, Specialized Welding (WA) Pty Ltd, has imported some 10 employees from the Philippines to be employed on skilled engineering tasks. This has caused a great deal of consternation in the community. I make it clear that this is not because we do not welcome Filipinos into our country but because some 71000 Western Australians are currently out of work. The question reasonably asked by those 71000 Western Australians and their families and friends is, "Why aren't Australian workers being trained to fill these jobs and what precedent is being set by this importation of labour?" I again make it clear that we are not criticising the Filipino workers. ., A member interjected. Hon AJ.G. MacTIERNAN: We are not at all. We understand that they are simply acting in the same way that our ancestors or, indeed, many of the migrants who are citizens of Australia have done. They are simply seeking job opportunities for a better material standard of living. That is quite understandable. This is no criticism at all of those workers. However, we are questioning why the system has failed to provide the requisite skills to Australian workers. Those skills would enable them to take up such job opportunities as have been presented to these Filipino workers. We question whether any real effort has been made to address these skills shortages by the company or the State Government. We also question whether another, separate agenda might be at play here. These are big issues. As a result of this easy importation, will we see employers and government abandoning the national training agenda in favour of the cheap option of importation of labour? This has occurred in Australia over many, many years. Certainly since the gold rushes in Victoria in the 1850s, the response to skills or labour shortages has simply been more migration. We have arrived at a stage in our development where a considerable critique of levels of immigration is occurring. This is compounded by the difficulties we have in attracting migrant labour from our traditional sources. It is no secret that the wages offered to Australian workers are some of the lowest in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. A member interjected. Hon AJ.G. Mac TIERNAN: I am quite happy to give proof of that. The fact that we see a declining number of applications for immigration from those countries quite clearly demonstrates it. The building industry has clearly demonstrated this. Considerable shortages have occurred during the cyclical booms. Over the last 10 years we have been unable to address such shortages through immigration from European sources. We have traditionally catered for this problem by immigration, which has perhaps often been at the expense of proper investment in skills development in this country. Now that there is some sensitivity about immigration we may well be seeing the beginning of a strategy similar to that adopted in the northern European countries post Second World War; that is, the introduction of guest workers. That issue must be subjected to considerable debate in the community. Another big question which is begged by this practice is what will be the impact on wages and conditions of Australian workers. An important aspect to note about this incident, which has grabbed the attention of the Press, is that the guest workers are on a workplace agreement; they are not on an award. As a result of that we have no way of knowing what are their wages and conditions. Hon P.R. Lightfoot interjected. Hon AJ.G. MacTIERNAN: We will get onto that for Hon Ross Lightfoot. I am glad to see that the cogs are still grinding, no matter how slowly. Unlike the system under an award, no capacity exists for any third parties to inspect times and wages records or to ensure that the wages being paid are up to general Australian standards. There is no way of compelling an employer to pay the award wage, let alone the above award payments that may be the industry norm in that area of high technology welding. Hon P.R. Lightfoot interjected. Hon AJ.G. MacTiERNAN: We will get onto that. Hon Ross Lightfoot is saying that workplace 836 [COUNCIL] agreements are underpinned by the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act. We all know that the princely sum delivered by the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act is some $317! Hon P.R. Lightfoot: That is higher than the basic wage. Hon AJ.G. MacTIERNAN: $317 for a 40 hour week is well below the award standard for that industry and well below the norm that skilled workers could expect to receive. There is no transparency at all in these arrangements. One workplace agreement for imported labour that we have been able to see, which involved a couple of Thai chefs working at The Thai House Restaurant, had a number of provisions which caused grave concern. Not only was the level of payment received by these workers much lower than would have been accepted by skilled Australian workers but also the workers were in many ways bonded labour. The sorts of penal provisions in the agreements, such as the obligation to repay, put the workers in a position which is not unlike that to which many Filipina maids and domestic workers are subjected in many of the middle eastern countries. We have those very legitimate concerns. If workers coming into Western Australia are subject to workplace agreements, there must be a degree of transparency in those agreements. They must be made public, so that any fears Australian workers may have that we are seeing the substitution of imported labour for Australian labour in order to obtain a price advantage may be redressed. In 1982 Specialized Welding had a similar problem of skill shortage. It is interesting to see the approach that was taken then.
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