ID :
186299
Fri, 06/03/2011 - 13:29
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http://m.oananews.org//node/186299
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Greens, ALP abusing parliament: O'Farrell
SYDNEY (AAP) - NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has accused Greens and Labor MPs of abusing parliament as a marathon debate on the government's controversial industrial relations changes heads into the weekend.
Filibustering Greens and Labor MPs in the upper house have been debating the public sector employment reforms off and on since Wednesday, with a long session on Thursday stretching to 3.19am (AEST) on Friday.
The parties are trying to force the government to delay a vote on the bill, which will give the government the power to stipulate wages and conditions for public servants.
The upper house debate is likely to go through the weekend and into next week, after the government rejected overtures from the Greens and Labor to adjourn it until the next parliamentary sitting day on June 14.
With Labor planning to table 150 amendments to the bill and the Greens 50, the standoff has angered Mr O'Farrell.
"This is a serious piece of legislation ... it's time that Labor and the Greens stopped playing games, stopped abusing parliamentary process, and got on and considered this appropriately, and allowed this vote to occur," he told reporters.
"What Labor and the Greens need to understand is that is how long this debate goes on, there will be a vote. They can't avoid the vote."
Greens and Labor MPs had promised to end their filibustering and vote on the bill within two sitting days provided the government adjourned debate for a fortnight.
The Greens' David Shoebridge, who spoke for five hours and 58 minutes on Thursday night, breaking a 20-year record for longest continuous speech in the upper house, said this would allow enough time for a "broad public debate".
But the government rejected the proposal, saying it wanted a vote in the current sitting.
Mr O'Farrell on Friday confirmed he had assured crucial crossbench MPs that local government workers would be exempt from the bill when it came into force, as would current negotiations on police wages.
"I appreciate the views of the crossbenchers that there are special circumstances relating to the police so we have agreed to the police exemption," he said.
But news of police exemption raised the ire of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, which says a current wages claim by State Transit Authority (STA) bus drivers should receive the same treatment.
"We're not about causing disruptions for the public for the sake of it, but I think anyone would see that would be unfair for one sector (to get an exemption) based on the expiry date, and another can't," RTBU division secretary Chris Preston told AAP.
Opposition Leader John Robertson said the decision to exempt police officers showed the government was worried.
"The premier is now acknowledging what we have been saying all along, and that is that these laws are so far-reaching, and will have such a negative effect on workers, he has exempted one group of workers," he said.
"We don't just want police exempt, we want fire fighters, nurses, teachers and child care workers (to also be exempt), and the only way you can do that is to scrap these laws."
The coalition's bill would give the government the power to stipulate wages and conditions for public servants, and require the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to "give effect" to its policy.
Unions, the opposition and Greens say the bill would give the government unprecedented powers to slash wages and conditions.
Filibustering Greens and Labor MPs in the upper house have been debating the public sector employment reforms off and on since Wednesday, with a long session on Thursday stretching to 3.19am (AEST) on Friday.
The parties are trying to force the government to delay a vote on the bill, which will give the government the power to stipulate wages and conditions for public servants.
The upper house debate is likely to go through the weekend and into next week, after the government rejected overtures from the Greens and Labor to adjourn it until the next parliamentary sitting day on June 14.
With Labor planning to table 150 amendments to the bill and the Greens 50, the standoff has angered Mr O'Farrell.
"This is a serious piece of legislation ... it's time that Labor and the Greens stopped playing games, stopped abusing parliamentary process, and got on and considered this appropriately, and allowed this vote to occur," he told reporters.
"What Labor and the Greens need to understand is that is how long this debate goes on, there will be a vote. They can't avoid the vote."
Greens and Labor MPs had promised to end their filibustering and vote on the bill within two sitting days provided the government adjourned debate for a fortnight.
The Greens' David Shoebridge, who spoke for five hours and 58 minutes on Thursday night, breaking a 20-year record for longest continuous speech in the upper house, said this would allow enough time for a "broad public debate".
But the government rejected the proposal, saying it wanted a vote in the current sitting.
Mr O'Farrell on Friday confirmed he had assured crucial crossbench MPs that local government workers would be exempt from the bill when it came into force, as would current negotiations on police wages.
"I appreciate the views of the crossbenchers that there are special circumstances relating to the police so we have agreed to the police exemption," he said.
But news of police exemption raised the ire of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, which says a current wages claim by State Transit Authority (STA) bus drivers should receive the same treatment.
"We're not about causing disruptions for the public for the sake of it, but I think anyone would see that would be unfair for one sector (to get an exemption) based on the expiry date, and another can't," RTBU division secretary Chris Preston told AAP.
Opposition Leader John Robertson said the decision to exempt police officers showed the government was worried.
"The premier is now acknowledging what we have been saying all along, and that is that these laws are so far-reaching, and will have such a negative effect on workers, he has exempted one group of workers," he said.
"We don't just want police exempt, we want fire fighters, nurses, teachers and child care workers (to also be exempt), and the only way you can do that is to scrap these laws."
The coalition's bill would give the government the power to stipulate wages and conditions for public servants, and require the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to "give effect" to its policy.
Unions, the opposition and Greens say the bill would give the government unprecedented powers to slash wages and conditions.
