Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Financial Services) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

(1) notes that 29 October 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization (ILO);

(2) acknowledges that the ILO:

(a) was established following the first world war in an effort to bridge the gap between governments, employers and working people;

(b) was originally an agency of the League of Nations and has continued as a specialised agency to this day where 187 member states work together on improving labour standards and living standards throughout the world; and

(c) is a tripartite organisation that seeks co-operation between governments, employers and workers through the development of policies, standards and programmes that reflect the views of all the representative groups;

(3) recognises:

(a) the historical, cultural and social significance of the ILO over the past 100 years in an Australian context and throughout the world;

(b) that the work of the ILO has played an important role in:

(i) improving incomes, working conditions, safety, equality and protections at work as well as improving productivity and living standards; and

(ii) ending oppressive work practices, removing discrimination and ending child labour; and

(c) that the ILO has passed some of the most important international agreements that reduce exploitation, discrimination and inequality and promote collective bargaining, including the:

(i) Forced Labour Convention of 1930, banning forced or compulsory labour;

(ii) Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention of 1948, providing the right to union organising for collective bargaining;

(iii) Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention of 1949, protection against discrimination for joining a trade union, and taking collective action;

(iv) Equal Remuneration Convention of 1951, providing the right to equal pay removal of gender discrimination;

(v) Discrimination Convention of 1958, providing the right not to be discriminated against on grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin; and

(vi) Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention of 1999, prohibiting the worst forms of child labour (slavery, prostitution, drug trafficking and other dangerous jobs); and

(4) calls on the Government to adopt a more cooperative approach to workplace relations in the ILO tradition to work with unions and employers to improve Australian’s incomes and living standards.

As this motion states, 29 October this year marks the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization. That's a century of advancing social justice and promoting decent work. There's a reason to celebrate, because quite simply the world today is a better place because of the ILO. As a specialised agency of the United Nations, it's been a key force across borders in helping to reduce exploitation, discrimination and inequality, and promote collective bargaining. The organisation was established following the First World War in an effort to bridge the gap between governments, employers and working people.

The ILO rose from the ashes of that disastrous conflict, the war that was meant to end all wars, created in the belief that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace. Originally an agency of the League of Nations, the ILO has continued as a specialist agency for over a century. Today, 187 member states work together on improving labour standards and developing standards throughout the world. It's a tripartite organisation that seeks cooperation between governments, employers and workers through the development of policy, standards and programs that reflect the views of all representative groups.

The ILO has a rich history of fighting for some of the world's poorest people. It's played an important role in Australia and beyond our shores by improving incomes, working conditions, safety, equality and protections at work, as well as boosting productivity and living standards. The organisation has been a driving force behind reforming oppressive work practices, removing discrimination and, importantly, ending child labour. The ILO has passed some of the most important international agreements that Australia is a signatory to, including the Forced Labour Convention of 1930, banning forced or compulsory labour; the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention of 1948, providing the right to union organising for collective bargaining; the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention of 1949, protecting against discrimination for joining a trade union and taking collective action; the Equal Remuneration Convention of 1951, providing the right to equal pay, and the removal of gender discrimination; the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention of 1958, providing the right not to be discriminated against on the grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin; and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention of 1999, prohibiting the worst forms of child labour, notably slavery, prostitution, drug trafficking and other dangerous jobs. Today the work of this wonderful organisation has made a profound transformation. The next century will see globalisation and technological change create even more new paths to prosperity, but so too will existing work arrangements be upended. The disrupters will soon be disrupted.

Climate change, shifting demographics, migration and changes in the organisation of work will affect all societies, including our own. The demand for some jobs will change, while others will disappear or may not resemble what they used to be. The ILO will remain a constant among this certain change. That's why Labor calls on the government to adopt a more cooperative approach to workplace relations in Australia, in the model of the ILO tradition that's been in place for 100 years. That tradition is one of the parties getting together and working together on problems in workplaces throughout the world, ending some of the worst forms of discrimination; introducing equality; boosting the wages, conditions and living standards of workers; and, in doing so, lifting national income and lifting people out of poverty in so many societies throughout the world. It's that tradition, instead of one based on conflict and union bashing, that we call on the government to adopt in their approach to industrial relations. Working with unions and employers can help to improve Australia's incomes and living standards, and I'm very pleased that the member for Cooper, who has had a long involvement with the ILO through her role as the head of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, will be seconding this motion.

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