‘Newman-era attack on workers’ should have gone to 2024 poll: Miles

Opposition Leader Steven Miles has accused the Crisafulli LNP of misleading voters by not having taken its sweeping industrial relations law changes to the 2024 election.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie introduced a bill acting on calls from a government-commissioned review on Wednesday night, claiming key provisions would align with federal powers.

But the new ability for Bleijie to terminate protected industrial action by workers negotiating deals with government is far broader than the federal law it is said to be based on.

Bleijie defended the proposed changes, which extend further across the industrial relations and workers’ compensation landscape on Thursday morning, saying the powers would be used sparingly.

“Federally and [in] other jurisdictions that have these laws, you’ll find that they will be very, very limited,” Bleijie told reporters at a media conference with supportive business and industry groups.

Fronting media with various union figures outside state parliament on Thursday afternoon, Miles called Bleijie an “ideologue” who could “not be trusted when it comes to workers’ rights”.

“This is the kind of thing you saw in WorkChoices, you saw from Peter Reith, you saw from Campbell Newman,” Miles said. “They’ve just returned to their playbook.”

The review, also tabled on Wednesday, was conducted by former Bleijie-appointed WorkCover chair Glenn Ferguson and Industrial Relations Commissioner Gary Black.

It made 104 recommendations, 75 of which the government accepted in full and 14 which were accepted in-principle.

While the federal Fair Work Act allows that minister to end industrial action if it would threaten the lives, health or welfare of part of the population, or the economy, the review called for more.

It recommended a further element that would allow industrial action “taken by frontline or critical service delivery workers” to be scrapped “on the basis of concerns about service delivery impacts”.

Ultimately, the proposed bill – now subject to a period of public consultation through a parliamentary committee – included an even broader clause.

This would allow Bleijie to terminate protected industrial action if he is satisfied it would threaten to “otherwise have a significant effect that is contrary to the public interest”.

Similar to the federal provisions, Bleijie would also have powers to then make directions requiring employers or workers take particular action, with civil penalties for any breach of these.

“So that’s our job for the next 6 weeks – convince the committee and the government that these changes have not nearly gone far enough.”

Red Union director Jack McGuire

The sweeping changes come despite a limited industrial relations agenda taken to the 2024 election by the Crisafulli LNP, and protracted public negotiations with several major state workforces.

Such negotiations have resulted in work bans in hospitals, and strikes by teachers, youth justice and child safety workers – some of whom may have to renegotiate deals before the 2028 state election.

The proposed changes, and further proposed reviews of laws and public sector union policies, are also said by Bleijie to be aimed at increasing “freedom” for workers to choose their representation.

Red Union director Jack McGuire, who oversees a raft of associations seeking to compete with registered unions for members, has claimed the bill as it is has “not nearly gone far enough”.

“We can have no faith and no trust that this is the extent of his plans,” Miles said of Premier David Crisafulli and his agenda for the government.

“There might be a second or third wave, but just this first wave is bad enough, giving Jarrod Bleijie sweeping powers to take away the rights of workers.”

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