Fed: States will co-operate with federal Labor on IR - Gillard

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2007
Fed: States will co-operate with federal Labor on IR - Gillard

SYDNEY, April 19 AAP - The federal opposition is confident the state Labor governments
will conform to a national industrial relations (IR) system for the private sector, despite
initial reluctance.

Following federal leader Kevin Rudd's announcement of his workplace policies on Tuesday,
NSW and Queensland have said they will not (not) hand their IR powers to Canberra if Labor
wins this year's federal election.

But Mr Rudd's deputy, Julia Gillard, today said that NSW Minister for Industrial Relations
John Della Bosca and Queensland Premier Peter Beattie had shown a willingness to negotiate.

"When you look at what John Della Bosca has said, he's certainly prepared to talk about
it and work with Labor on harmonising laws," Ms Gillard told reporters in Sydney.

"I've spoken with Premier Peter Beattie today and he has reaffirmed that Queensland
wants to work with a Rudd Labor government to get one national system for the private
sector.

"We will achieve a national uniform plan for the private sector.

"There's two ways of skinning that cat. State Labor governments can refer powers to
us, or we can work in cooperation with state Labor governments to harmonise laws.

"We are happy to talk to states about either of those mechanisms, but we're going to
get to the same result, we're going to get to a uniform system for the private sector."

Ms Gillard denied Mr Rudd had left a confusing IR policy mess for her to clean up after
he flew to the US yesterday.

"There is no confusion. Kevin Rudd's speech clearly outlined there were two mechanisms
for achieving a uniform national private system," she said.

AAP pmu/wjf/cp/cdh

KEYWORD: WORKPLACE GILLARD

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