Aust, rules out clamp on joint labour market

Press, 2 April 1985, Page 18

Aust, rules out clamp on joint labour market

By

CHRIS PETERS

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney Australia’s Immigration Minister, Mr Chris Hurford, has ruled out any bowing to union pressure to restrict New Zealanders working in Australia. He told his New Zealand counterpart, Mr Burke, that the Australian Government was committed to the common labour market, and there would be no move to such restrictions as work permits to appease the unions. Australian shearers and their union, the Australian Workers’ Union, have frequently complained bitterly about New Zealanders breaking awards and taking jobs, and also accused New Zealanders of not paying tax on the money they earned in Australia. Those complaints found voice recently when the Australian Council of Trade Unions came out against “foreigners” not paying taxes and breaking Australian awards — an attack generally regarded as being aimed at New Zealanders. Union unrest has become pressure on the Government for some form of restriction on New Zealanders going to Australia, but Mr Hurford assured Mr Burke there would be no change to existing arrangements. Mr Burke flew to Adelaide for the annual meeting of Australian Federal and state immigration Ministers, and came away happy with the reception. “Mr Hurford reiterated his commitment to continuing New Zealand’s special status in Australian immigration and the common labour markets, and that is going to remain,” Mr Burke said.

“He acknowledged there had been pressure from the unions and the A.W.U. in particular over shearers whose dispute has been symbolised by the New Zealanders’ use of wide combs but which comes down to other areas like tax and breaking awards. “Those things are regretable and shouldn't happen, but you don’t remedy that by introducing permits for all New Zealanders. “Unions here should be able to police breaches of their awards through the industrial commission rather than by immigration control. “I deplore scabbing and award cutting and if it is being done it has no support from the New Zealand Government or the New Zealand trade union movement, but it should be able to be controlled through tax and industrial law rather than through control of the whole Tasman migration. “If ever there was a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, it would have to be that.” Mr Burke said he knew of no problems involving Australians breaking New Zealand awards or tax laws, and if it happened it would be dealt with by the Inland Revenue or the Arbitration Court. However, Australian union sensitivity could be increased in future by the latest Tasman migration patterns which Mr Burke said showed more New Zealanders were again beginning to go to Australia than were going home, although volumes were up in both categories. He also said that the number of Australians going to live and work in New Zealand and going home

were in balance and running at about a third of New Zealand movements. One facet of the New Zealand Tasman migration was that a significant number of Maoris were now moving to Australia, and more were crossing the Tasman than going home. Mr Burke said he was also intensely interested in a plan drawn up by the Australian Ministers to look at ways of promoting the positive aspects of immigration and the positive contribution migrant communities make to Australian society. A report will be delivered to the Australian Government, probably in July, and Mr Burke said he was interested in whether its techniques could be applied to New Zealand. “Australia has large European communities and a growing Indo-Chinese community, and the Ministers believe it is important Australians be made aware of the value of migrant communities and the contribution they make,” he said. “In New Zealand the same concept can be applied, but not necessarily to the migrant community. “There is a rennaissance of Maori pride in New Zealand — Maoris are now bn the march culturally and reasserting pride in their culture — and it is important for all New Zealanders to appreciate that, be aware cl' it, and not to be afraid of Mr Burke said New Zealanders needed to be aware of the richness all cultures, including Maori, gave to the country, and he was interested to see if the techniques of the Australian study could be applied at home.