Economic challenge in WA for Rudd's new govt : CCIWA

Western Australia's peak business and employer group, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, congratulates Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party on their election victory.

However, one of the first challenges confronting the new Rudd Labor Government is to maintain the responsible and effective management of the economy to ensure Western Australia's growth and prosperity continue.

The WA economy is the powerhouse of the nation, and if properly managed, the current economic climate can continue for many years to come.

However the change of government presents many challenges for WA's small, medium and large businesses. As a result many employers are apprehensive about the future.

The industrial relations reforms undertaken since 1993 have been instrumental in delivering the current economic prosperity, giving employers confidence and certainty to grow and hire more staff.

At the same time individual bargaining has provided both employers and employees the flexibility to negotiate pay and conditions at a workplace level.

These benefits will now be lost.

Amid this business uncertainty, it is imperative for the new Prime Minister and his government to develop a close working relationship with WA business and consult employers about its industrial relations changes.

Another significant early challenge for Kevin Rudd will be to enforce his leadership on the union movement to ensure industrial unrest and strikes do not undermine WA's business reputation and the ability for projects to be completed on time and on budget.

With more than $100 billion of major infrastructure projects in the pipeline in WA, the state can not afford to return to the old days of union dominance.

CCI, as the state's peak business and employer group, will welcome any opportunity to meet members of the new government to ensure the voice of WA business continues to be heard.