Auto industry denounces the Deputy Prime Minister’s Skills Council decision
March 19, 2009 by Matt Brogan
The Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced yesterday that the Automotive Industry has been handed over to Manufacturing Skills Australia (MSA).
Both the manufacturing and repair, service and retail sectors of the Automotive Industry are represented by member organisations that have been denied an audience with the Deputy Prime Minister, despite numerous requests to meet.
“This has occurred without any regard for the position of the key direct stakeholders,” VACC General Manager of Industrial Relations and Training, Ms Leyla Yilmaz, said. “The MSA represents, in the main, the big end of town in plastics, chemicals, textiles and furnishing manufacturers. The Automotive Industry is at a loss to draw the similarities with automotive repairers, sellers of vehicles, fuel outlets, towing operators, dismantlers, vehicle body repairers, specialist vehicle modifiers and the like.
“This decision sends a message to the Automotive Industry that our views are unimportant. It is very disappointing that the Government has not taken the time to hear and consider the serious reservations expressed by the Industry in merging with MSA. Relying on the Bracks’ Report which issued a recommendation without any basis is indicative of the lack of regard to the decision made by the Industry to refuse a merger with MSA in 2003.
No tags for this post.“Then, and consistently since, the automotive sector expressed its wish that it not be merged with a skills council that is unsuited to the industry, but the Deputy Prime Minister has chosen not to consult our views. The Automotive Industry is made up of mainly small business, employing almost 400,000 employees. The Automotive Industry will not be forced lightly into a marriage doomed to fail, or worse still, damage the commitment to training and employment in the Automotive Industry.”
Well all i can say to all the people who voted that arrogant little weasel KRUDD and this Kath DayNight impersonater into office, well i wont say it….actually yeah i will…sucked in…. fore warned i say.
Totally agree Marcoz ! One of the first things to come out of Kelvin Dudds mouth was ” The reccession we have to have” now funnY that as didnt another PM say that??
LOL Hummerbug. It’s repeted in history time and time again. As soon as Labor comes in power, we get a recession.
Yep spot on Dan we will spend the next four years spending money we dont have and once Liberal get back in they will spend four years getting it back from people who dont have it and then everyone will blame Liberal for being money hungry ! Now is that really fair mee’s ask’s ??
It’s a cycle. Labor ruins the economy, Liberals fix it up and get it back on track. Muppets vote labor again, and ruins the economy. Liberals fix it back… and so on.
Muppets haaaaaaaaaaaaaa LOL Thats classic… Yeah and there are strings attached haaaa
Obviously those commenting on here have no idea that there’s a GLOBAL recession currently happening? even if your liberal saviours were in power there would be a recessions, ever thought that this may be because 7/10 of our top 10 trading partners are in recession also? Hmm, idiots….
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Shoulda woulda coulda Ryan… LOL. Fact remains that over the years, Labor steps in, so does recession :)
I don’t think a recession could have been avoided, regardless of who is in power. As labour are showing though, they always manage to go into debt straight away and squander any money that previous Liberal governments have saved. They also have to look after their Union interests, so that will always cost business.
Yeah I know Steve, probably couldn’t have been avoided regardless which party was in. I just like rubbing it in to any Labor supporters. Just as I like rubbing it in to Fremantle Dockers supporters about never winning the grand final haha.
SteveH, I guess you could also say that whenever Labor gets re-elected infrastructure investment has been so neglected by the previous Coalition government that they have to spend whatever surplus is there to get civil, public health and other essential services back up to date again?
^ I should also add that I’m a swinging voter, not a Labor fan. Regardless of their political persuasion they have to earn my vote with the best policies.
HAL, I am probably completely wrong here, but I thought hospitals were a State domain? Wasn’t there the hospital in Tassie that the State Government was going to close, then when the Federal Liberal government tried to step in, there was a furore over the Federal Government getting involved in State politics. I can’t stand KRUDD myself, just waffles and never actually says anything. Mind you, he is hardly ever in the country anyway.
No, you are correct Steve. Public hospitals are the State’s domain. But the only time any new hospitals have ever been built in the past has been when Federal Government has stepped in to fund the majority of the work (the States NEVER spend their money well). So although officially a State responsibility, no real investment in new hospitals or upgrades to existing services happens until the Fed govt steps in. And Labor generally does the better job of the 2 parties – still not great mind you, but better.
sorry, didn’t answer the rest of your question. The Tassie hospital was a complete fiasco prior to the last election. There was a huge political opportunity for John Howard to be the white knight saviour when the Tas State govt was going to close that hospital. But everybody saw it for what it was – political opportunism at it’s best, and the majority howled him down for not offering to help much earlier, you know, “why now just before an election?” was the main question being asked.
Funny how we have what would seem like a well liked federal Labour gov’t yet the flumoxed & concerned voices start springing up out of the ground……
History never lies & always repeats. Labour gov’ts have a habit of screwing economies into the ground, regardless of whichever fiscal cycle we are in. Simple economic facts. They need to feed the greedy & deep pockets of the unions.
Sadly we have a newish federal gov’t in power with muppets like Krudd & the monotoned Gillard at the helm who just refuse to listen….People say Howard & Costello were arrogant….Krudd & his economic henchmen are the personification of arrogance & the treasurer, well he just beggers belief.
Rant over………………
Sooooo Ryan , tell me how the recession has affected you? tell me , are you doing anything different ? i dont think so its a Labour scare tactic , in other words Labour spends money then makes cuts to make up the difference! Chasing tails kiddies , chasing tails……
We would have had noticeably less jobs lost in Australia if work choices remained intact.
Employers who may have taken the gamble of hiring employees in this volatile time are not hiring because of the strict “protections” to employee conditions. It’s ironic that these protections have inevitably cost many people their jobs.
so all you clowns think that its ok for management to do as they please with staff and stuff workers lives up but the worker cant have protection get real,there is not a boss in the world who gives a stuff about the worker the minute it gets a bit tough they get rid of staff instead of trying to do things better or trying to look after good staff untill things improve,i know for a fact what work choices has done in the area i work in it has done nothing to improve the work place or create more jobs ,less jobs less pay more work,oh and im not a red rag leftie but i for one will not be sorry to see work choices go,just my opinion.
John A, I’ll try to put this in laymans terms.
Under the Howard IR policy, companies with less than 100 employees were exempt from some of the protections. Now under the Rudd policy the number has been reduced to either 20 or 15.
All you need to think about, is WHY these exemptions exist for small businesses! That there is the answer. Both governments are aware and acknowledge that all these protections for employees place a heavy burden on businesses, which is why there are exemptions. If there wasn’t, we wouldn’t need the exemptions! Simple!
Having people in employment, rather than them unemployed is crucial. Work choices remaining would have enabled more people to stay in work during this downturn, even though they are on slightly worse conditions. But hey at least they HAVE jobs where as they probably don’t now.
I note a recent ninemsn poll where people overwhelmingly voted that they would take a pay cut in order to keep their jobs.
If you are a hard worker, the majority of the time you don’t have to worry about job security anyway.
roflamatic,how many times have you heard some ceo going on about how our people are our most important asset,times get tough or they want to restructure or just plain greed and lo and behold the most valuable asset is out on the street,in laymans terms mate thats why a worker needs a bit of protection,and lets face it if you stuff up big time at work after 3 warnings you are out anyway,my last word on the subject is that the previous government did sfa for australians in the workplace,thanks for your response though but lets stick to cars its a lot frendlier hehe
Back on thread, shows just how much lack of understanding there is within the Beaurocrates about all types of industry. Bundle with the “touted” automotive industry rescue package that this administration put forward, and the hoops the manufacturers have to jump through just to get a waffer thin slice of the 6.2 billion dollars over the next 13 years and you get a clear picture of how little these people think of the industry. It will be really interesting if the allow Chinalco to purchase into Rio Tinto. If that happens, get your name down quickly at centre link.
SteveH, the hospital funding is a shared power between the states and the feds. The feds hand out funding and the states decide where to spend it. ie ambos hospitals, clinics.
john a Says:
March 19th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
“so all you clowns think that its ok for management to do as they please with staff and stuff workers lives up but the worker cant have protection get real,there is not a boss in the world who gives a stuff about the worker the minute it gets a bit tough they get rid of staff instead of trying to do things better or trying to look after good staff untill things improve,i know for a fact what work choices has done in the area i work in it has done nothing to improve the work place or create more jobs ,less jobs less pay more work,oh and im not a red rag leftie but i for one will not be sorry to see work choices go,just my opinion.”
You need to see a therapist – while you’re there learn some grammer too.
You’re not a relative of that half-wit Union Chief Sharon Burrows are you?
hey realist you have made my day hahaha thanks mate