Motions

Industrial Relations Commission

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations) (16:36): I move:

That pursuant to section 30 of the Fair Work Act 1994, the nominee of this house to the panel to consult with the Minister for Industrial Relations regarding the appointment to the position of Deputy Commissioner to the Industrial Relations Commission of South Australia be the member for Little Para.

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (16:37): I would like to move an amendment to the motion. Do I need to have that in writing?

The SPEAKER: It would be handy.

Mr GARDNER: Do you want me to vamp for a moment while that is being brought down?

The SPEAKER: Yes, do that.

Mr GARDNER: Well, I think that the tradition in this place is that matters such as this are in fact dealt with in consultation with a member of the government and a member of the opposition. It is my understanding that a member of the government has been appointed in the other place to be their representative in this matter, and I therefore would move that the member for Davenport, rather than the member for Little Para, be placed in this motion. I believe that we now have that in writing, and, therefore, I move:

That the words 'Little Para' be deleted and replaced with the word 'Davenport'.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (16:38): The reason that the opposition has moved this amendment is that the government is about to go through a process of setting up a panel for appointment for the Deputy Commissioner position to the Industrial Relations Commission and, under the act, the lower house appoints one person, and the Legislative Council appoints another. It is a surprise to the opposition that the government is proposing to appoint a Labor member from the lower house and a Labor member from the upper house, which is against all traditions of this particular provision.

I have previously been a shadow minister for industrial relations when the former member for Lee, Michael Wright, was the minister and he made sure that there was one person from the other major party as part of the consultation process. What we have here is the minister suggesting that the Labor Minister for Industrial Relations is going to be consulting with a Labor backbencher from the lower house and a Labor backbencher from the upper house, and the opposition gets no say whatsoever to an appointment to the Industrial Relations Commission. That has never been the practice.

We say that the appropriate thing is that the member for Davenport happens to be the Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and is the appropriate representative of this house, and the government can move their representative from another place. So this simple amendment reinstates what has been the practice in relation to these provisions for my 20 years in this place and that is that there be one person representative of each of the major parties in these sorts of appointments.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I do not wish to make any more of an issue of this matter than needs be the case. I have to say that this matter is something to which I have not spent a great deal of time attending. Indeed, I thought I was of the understanding this was a routine matter coming before the house. If it turns out that unexpectedly the upper house—which has a limited number of Labor members—has nominated one of those limited number to be on the committee and it is indeed not the practice that there is one from each house from the same side of parliament, I would just like the opportunity to have a look at that. So I am happy for this to be adjourned while I have a talk with the member for Davenport and we will try and work it out.

The SPEAKER: You seek leave to continue your remarks?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I do indeed, yes.

Leave granted.

The SPEAKER: The adjourned debate be made an order for the day—on motion perhaps.

Mr GARDNER: On motion, sir.

The SPEAKER: And with the question of vamping, is that in the urban dictionary?

Mr GARDNER: Sir, I suggest that you google it.

The SPEAKER: Thank you.

Ms REDMOND: Sir, I understand it is the equivalent of 'scat' in jazz.

The SPEAKER: Thank you to the member for Heysen for her assistance.

Debate adjourned.