Labor IR policy hits stumbling block with WA miners

The good vibes flowing from federal Labor's national conference hit a major stumbling block in Western Australia after Premier Alan Carpenter revealed he did not think the use of Australian Workplace Agreements were bad for workers in the mining sector.

What had been almost a week of clear airwaves devoted to IR policy hit static today with confusion over what exactly would happen in WA, especially in the mining sector which has bankrolled the rest of the nation.

Speaking to a resources-dominated crowd attending the Chamber of Minerals and Energy's general meeting at The Hyatt today, Mr Carpenter said he would not cede state powers to a Federal Labor government if industries, such as the mining sector, were disadvantaged under a new IR system.

"I've never seen examples given to me that say these AWAs are producing exploitation in the mining industry," Mr Carpenter said.

"I recognise that workers in the mining industry currently enjoy very, very good conditions of employment and that should be continued. That was my message to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, (that) when you are developing an alternative model be mindful of the fact that we have a very good experience in the WA resource industry and we need to be sensitive to that."

However, almost in the same breath, Mr Carpenter said believed that AWAs should be scrapped.

"I'll make it quite clear, my view is that John Howard's workplace relations reforms went too far and were too extreme," he said.

"Our government has been and is opposed to AWAs because they have been used to exploit workers. The issue is undeniable and can't be defended."

Mr Carpenter said while exploitation was not evident in the resources sector it was important for a fair and flexible IR system to be developed that "was in everyone's best interest".

"We need to make sure we don't disadvantage people because we disadvantage the whole economy if we do so," he said.

Opposition leader Paul Omodei urged Mr Carpenter to reinstate state-based AWA's, which were scrapped by Geoff Gallop when Labor came to power in 2001.

Mr Carpenter said he would not introduce state-based AWAs.

"One of the things that business wants is consistency," he said. "It would be much better if we get a national model, which is consistent, fair, balanced and flexible," he said.

"One of the factors that propelled us into government was the opposition to Graham Kierath's industrial relations model. That was a very powerful tool in getting Geoff Gallop elected as Premier and Richard Court disappear. I would hardly revert to Graham Kierath's model for WA. That is what I am fighting against."

Chamber of Minerals and Energy president David Smith said he was concerned that the mining industry may be forced to undergo a period of significant industrial relations change at a time when the industry was under extreme pressure to find skilled labour and increase production.

"We have a lot of constraints at the moment...the last thing we need is something else to take our attention away from the challenges at hand," Mr Smith said.

"We would like AWAs to continue but if Federal Labor is telling us they will not then we certainly want something that gives us the same sort of flexibility."

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA director of policy Deidre Willmott said Federal Labor's plans to scrap AWAs was an agenda run by the union movement.

"The unions are desperate lift their falling membership," Ms Willmott said.

"They are desperate to get back to IR issues through the reinstatement of awards and the reinstatement of collective agreements."

Ms Willmott said she encouraged business to get on "the front foot" and campaign the benefits of AWAs to the Australian community.

Mr Smith said the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy was not planning to launch a campaign promoting the benefits of AWAs.