BHP slams Labor's job-law stance

BHP Billiton has launched a scathing attack on the Australian Labor Party's promise to repeal the Work Choices industrial relations system if it wins government, arguing such a move threatens Australia's participation in the global resources boom.

BHP, the world's biggest miner and Australia's most profitable company, said the plan to abolish Australian Workplace Agreements and replace them with collective bargaining was a "retrograde step'. "As it stands, the ALP's proposed IR policy will not only abolish AWAs, it will also effectively get rid of the mining industry's ability to capitalise on the current huge demand for minerals," BHP said yesterday.

The comments place BHP, traditionally a moderate on industrial relations issues, at the forefront of a growing chorus of business opposition to Labor's proposed industrial law changes. Last month Rio Tinto's Australian head Charlie Lenegan said Labor reforms would turn the industrial relations reform clock back "15 years-plus".

There are about 200 mining projects worth an estimated $73 billion that are either committed, under construction or slated for consideration in Australia, as the industry ramps up production to meet soaring demand and booming prices fuelled by the rapid industrialisation of China. The Mining Council of Australia estimates an extra 70,000 workers are needed over the next decade to meet expected demand. Only one in three people working in the Australian minerals sector is covered by an AWA, but their popularity is rising. About 80 per cent of all employment agreements lodged with the Office of the Employment Advocate in the first three months of the year were AWAs.

BHP said it strongly supported recent comments by the BCA, Minerals Council of Australia and Western Australian Premier Alan Carpenter in relation to AWAs. "We have some concerns about the ALP's industrial relations policy and the potential for it to adversely affect the continued expansion of the minerals industry. If the ALP is committed to abolishing Australian Workplace Agreements, it is critical that it comes up with an industrial relations system that promotes, rather than stymies, Australia's minerals industry."

BHP did not have figures on the proportion of its australian workforce covered by AWA's, but said the instruments had provided the flexibility to respond to market conditions and gave BHP's workers the ability to share in the industry's success. "We support the right of employees to have union representation. We also believe that setting minimum standards can be a positive. But employees and employers also have a right to choose which industrial relations instrument best suits their needs. "We do not believe that mandating third-party involvement in bargaining, or mandating collective bargaining itself, is appropriate. This is a retrograde step that will only contribute to inflexibility for employers and employees."

BHP said it would continue to talk to Labor to "try to ensure that IR policies are created that support the continued development of this industry". But AWAs are the preferred option for its extensive West Australian iron ore operations and at Olympic Dam, which is planning massive expansion to make it the largest mine of its type in the world. Many other of its operations have enterprise bargaining agreements in place. "There's no one-size-fits-all approach," a spokesperson said.

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Lessons on manners

SCHOOLCHILDREN can benefit from lessons in traditional values to combat a growing tide of rudeness and anti-social behaviour, the [Queensland] State Opposition said. Liberal Leader Bruce Flegg said social and emotional intelligence lessons would address a general concern across the community that youth were becoming more violent, disrespectful and committing more criminal acts.

Dr Flegg said he would closely monitor the "Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning" program to be introduced into British schools this year after initial testing found it improved behaviour, including attendance and test results. It also created a calmer classroom atmosphere and reduced bullying and violence. The British curriculum will teach "golden rules" such as: "We are gentle, we are kind, we work hard, we look after property, we listen to people, we are honest, we do not hurt anybody."

"The rudeness epidemic is something I am really concerned about and if there is an effective program that can teach children values it would have a lot of attraction, but the devil could be in the detail," Dr Flegg said. "There is a plague of declining social skills and respect for people, authority and property and every child should be polite." He also said busier families were leading to a loss of authority figures.

But Queensland Parents and Citizens Association president Brett Devenish said teachers were already instructing students too often in areas traditionally a parental responsibility. "I don't think parents should be able to abdicate all of their responsibilities to the education system, personal learning like values and morals should normally start a few years before children start school anyway," he said.

Queensland Teachers Union president Steve Ryan said a further narrowing of core subject choice in secondary school would only disadvantage students. "We are already dealing with an overcrowded curriculum and while some ideas may have some merit, the reality is when you introduce any new subject it would have to give way to some other part of the curriculum," he said.

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Victoria: Your police will protect you

LATE-night calls to police might be diverted to an automated answering service, with distressed callers being greeted with a voice recording. Those seeking police help would be greeted with a voice message between 11pm and 7am under the plan. Victoria Police has confirmed it was considering an automated service, but there are fears the change could jeopardise community safety. A summary of incoming call types to the Victoria Police Centre switchboard shows staff routinely take calls:

ABOUT missing loved ones or from those trying to talk someone out of suicide.

WITH tips about active police investigations.

FROM police on the road asking for connection to other departments relevant to their inquiries.

ABOUT urgent phone faults at other stations.

FROM callers enduring threats they feel are not serious enough to warrant a 000 call.

Community and Public Sector Union boss Karen Batt said the switchboard often took calls from people fed up with automated responses at other stations. "The nature of night calls varies from straightforward to often complex inquiries and potentially life-threatening situations whereby the switchboard officer must work with the caller to identify the most suitable station or service to connect with," Ms Batt said.

Police say the phone number -- the main line to the state's police headquarters -- is not designed for emergencies. Acting Insp Steve Gibson said the number was designed to support non-urgent administrative inquiries. He confirmed an automated service was being considered, saying police were harvesting call frequency data and analysing the nature of incoming calls before committing to the plan. The cost of the system and its hours of operation had not been established, he said. But the Herald Sun understands the period between 11pm and 7am has been nominated.

The plan follows a review of Victoria Police's corporate support services. The review started last October. Briefing notes seen by the Herald Sun say the support services review aimed to improve service and "maximise the use of and opportunities presented by appropriate technology". Related documents foreshadow the axing of roles and even job losses after the review. Acting Insp Gibson said there would be no short-term change and job cuts were not on the agenda. All other police departments in Australia that do not have a dedicated phone number for non-urgent police inquiries have a general inquiry phone number that is staffed around the clock.

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Oxfam coffee 'harms' poor farmers

Some Australian conservatives are copying Leftist tactics and getting the legal system into the act

TWO Melbourne academics have lodged formal complaints against Oxfam Australia over the sale of Fairtrade coffee, saying it should not be promoted as helping to lift Third World producers out of poverty because growers are paid very little for their beans. Tim Wilson, a research fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, and Sinclair Davidson, professor of institutional economics at RMIT University, have asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate Oxfam, saying it is guilty of misleading or deceptive conduct under the Trade Practices Act.

Mr Wilson said there was evidence that Fairtrade products could do more harm than good for coffee producers in undeveloped nations. He cited reports alleging producers had been charged thousands of dollars to become certified Fairtrade providers and some labourers received as little as $3 a day. In order to lodge the complaint, Mr Wilson purchased a 250g pack of Fairtrade organic decaf ground coffee from the online Oxfam shop. "We purchased this product in good faith, with the aim of lifting people out of poverty while enjoying our favourite brew," Mr Wilson said, in his letter to ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel.

Mr Wilson and Professor Davidson have long held doubts about whether Fairtrade products help coffee, tea and cocoa producers in undeveloped nations. Sales of such products in Australia total about $8million. The complaint to the ACCC refers to an article published in the Financial Times last September, which said Fairtrade coffee beans were "picked by workers paid below minimum wage". It claimed workers received the equivalent of $3 a day. The coffee is sold at a premium to people concerned about Third World poverty.

The academics quote an analysis of Fairtrade, published in the US-based Cato journal, which says coffee producers in poor nations are charged $3200 to become certified Fairtrade providers. The producers' costs are therefore higher than on the open market. The Fairtrade campaign aims to manage the international coffee trade by fixing prices at $US1.26 ($1.64) per pound (454g) and eventually fixing supply.

"Oxfam says the Fairtrade coffee allows growers in developing countries to sell coffee 'at a decent price' but we don't accept that the Fairtrade system can work," Mr Wilson said. "Our primary complaint is that this is an unsustainable system. The only sustainable mechanism is through free trade. They are artificially cooking up the international coffee trade, to promote the interests of the Fairtrade brand and the people who sign up to it." Fairtrade coffee is stocked by Coles and the Hudson coffee chain. Origin Energy and Orica make Fairtrade coffee available to staff in their Australian offices.

Oxfam rejected the academics' claims. It is this week promoting a Fairtrade Fortnight. To mark the event, Oxfam Australia invited Costa Rican coffee farmer Guillermo Vargas to a series of lectures on Fairtrade. Oxfam's Neil Bowker rejected criticism of the Fairtrade coffee project, saying: "It's all audited and monitored, from beginning to end, and we've got no doubts about the effectiveness."

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