26-July-2010
Portfolio Media Releases, The Economy
Labor has been caught out once again re-announcing existing policy and dressing it up as new.
Shadow Finance spokesman Andrew Robb said a Labor media release issued today on the ‘Protecting workers' entitlements package’ by Julia Gillard and three other Ministers stated:
‘.....the Gillard Labor Government will take strong action to make sure that these employers do the right thing. Employees will receive information on their pay slips about the amount of superannuation actually paid into their accounts.....’
However, the regulations made under the Fair Work Act already require this to be done. Regulation 3.46 states:
3.46 (5) If the employer is required to make superannuation contributions for the benefit of the employee, the pay slip must also include:
(a) the amount of each contribution that the employer made during the period to which the pay slip relates, and the name, or the name and number, of any fund to which the contribution was made; or
(b) the amounts of contributions that the employer is liable to make in relation to the period to which the pay slip relates, and the name, or the name and number, of any fund to which the contributions will be made.
(Fair Work Regulations, Chapter 3, Part 3-6, Division 3, Regulation 3.46 (5))
Mr Robb said this was the third day in four that the Labor Party had put out “all talk, no action” policies – others being the citizens’ assembly and cash for clunkers.
“The cash for clunkers policy will increase the price of old cars to a minimum of $2,000, making it much harder for young people and those less well-off to buy a car.
“They call this strong action, it’s a joke”, Mr Robb said.
The fact that Julia Gillard has tried to pass off existing policy as new policy shows that the Gillard Government is just as addicted to spin as the Rudd Government was.
Media Contact: Jim Bonner on 03 8616 5100 or 0429 426 682