There is clearly no place for independent umpires in the Hodgman government’s New Tasmania, Greens Leader Kim Booth MP said today.
“Additional to his knee-jerk rejection of the Tasmanian Industrial Commission’s recommendations, the Treasurer is now stooping to attacks upon the TIC in an immature display of playing the person and not the ball,” Mr Booth said.
“The arrogance and belligerence on display here is gobsmacking. With 821 full time equivalent jobs on the line, all the Liberals can do is rebuke the TIC for daring to try to find a resolution to an industrial issue which has major consequences for the state.”
“The public sector unions have tried to be constructive in this space, the Legislative Council voted to provide additional negotiating time, the Full Bench of the TIC has provided fair and considered recommendations made ‘in the strongest possible terms’, yet all Mr Gutwein and Mr Hodgman do is scapegoat and vilify.”
“The only party refusing to behave constructively or maturely is the Hodgman Liberal government.”
“It is becoming apparent there is no room for independent arbitration in the Liberals’ vision for Tasmania. We’ve already seen the Hodgman regime seek to tie the hands of the judiciary by imposing mandatory sentencing, and now they are sidelining the independent workplace umpire.”
“This casts a worrying cloud over the TIC’s role and future under this government.”
“Clearly the ear-muffs come down should anyone dare sing a different tune to the Liberal songbook,” Mr Booth said.