Opportunity lost to clean up right of entry provision

The Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Dr Steve Thomas says the Government’s refusal to apply greater oversight of union officials that might be granted a right of entry  permit to Western Australian workplaces was an unfortunate outcome of the Industrial Relations Amendment Bill passed by the Parliament yesterday.

“One of the primary actions of the Bill was to “provide a new framework for right of entry permits, including a fit and proper person test”, which is a good ambition that would have been enhanced with a stricter assessment of rogue union officials” Dr Thomas said.

“Many businesses in Western Australia have been the subject of poor behaviour once entry has been granted, and the history of some union endorsed officials has been less than savoury.

“The Bill we have just passed provides that the WA Industrial Relation Commission must examine criminal convictions of an applicant for a right of entry permit but does not require the WAIRC to examine complaints of misbehaviour or abuse in their work history.

“To address this, I attempted to add the following clause to the issues the WAIRC had to consider before granting a permit:

“whether the official has been the subject of a complaint of bullying, abuse or harassment under a law of the Commonwealth, a State, a Territory or a foreign country, including a complaint made to  the Fair Work Commission or the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission.”

“Unfortunately, the Government refused this added level of scrutiny of union officials, instead relying on a so called “catch all” clause that says the WAIRC can look at “any other matters”.

“This means that the WAIRC may look at past bad behaviour, but it is not required to so it may not.

“Frankly I think we have missed an opportunity to clean up the behaviour seen at our workplaces.

“Although I suppose given the union influence on WA Labor I should have expected it.”