National workplace relations system to commence on 1 January 2010

The Minister for Employment & Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, today welcomed New South Wales and Queensland into the new national workplace relations system, Fair Work.

New South Wales and Queensland today joined Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia by referring their workplace relations powers to the Commonwealth in relation to the private sector.

The Rudd Government has delivered on its promise to get rid of Work Choices and install a new fair and balanced national workplace relations system for the nation’s future.

Fair Work will end the overlap and duplication in workplace relations that has plagued the Australian economy for decades.

From 1 January 2010, Australian employees and employers in the private sector will benefit from the Rudd Government’s new workplace relations system, Fair Work.

This historic move to a national workplace relations system for the private sector is an important step in achieving a productive, streamlined national economy.

Over the last two years, the Rudd Government has worked tirelessly, in partnership with State governments, in pursuit of a genuinely national system for the private sector.

At today’s Workplace Relations Ministerial Council meeting, New South Wales and Queensland Industrial Relations Ministers signed up to theInter-Governmental Agreement for a National Workplace Relations System for the Private Sector.

TheInter-Governmental Agreementseals this historic deal and outlines the roles and responsibilities of participants in the new national Fair Work system.

Western Australia is now the only State where not all private sector businesses will be covered by the national Fair Work system.

The former Liberal government promised but failed to deliver a national workplace relations system in over a decade in government.

In fact, the Liberal Party opposed the creation of a national workplace relations system for the private sector in the Australian Parliament.

It seems the only plan the Liberal Party has is to take Australia back to the bad old days of an extreme and unfair workplace relations system.

Tony Abbott and Eric Abetz should stop treating the Australian people like mugs and come clean on their plans to re-introduce Work Choices.