Review of Mutual Recognition

Australian Council of Trade Unions submission to the National Competition Council Review of Australia’s Mutual Recognition Schemes for Workers

Introduction

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak trade union body in Australia, with 43 affiliated unions and states and regional trades and labour councils, representing approximately 2 million workers across the country who are engaged across a broad spectrum of industries and occupations in the public and private sectors. As custodians of the skills and training system and the representatives of skilled workers across the economy, we are pleased to have to the opportunity to provide input into the Councils’ discussion paper.

The ACTU has, in the past year, made a number of submissions to various reviews regarding the importance of the current system for the licensing of occupations and the significant risks that are presented by moves to undermine that system or to move toward mutual recognition of licenses without sufficient care and consideration. We note that the information sought by this discussion paper is predominantly to do with the experience of employers and workers with the current suite of mutual recognition schemes. For these purposes, we would commend to the Council any submissions made by our affiliated unions, who are better placed to provide the Council with the day-to-day experiences of workers. This submission will instead focus primarily on questions of principle and the broader system questions raised by the discussion paper.

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