The Risks of Harmonisation without Consideration

Australian Council of Trade Unions response to the National Competition Policy analysis 2025 Call for Submissions

The ACTU welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission on the matter of occupational licensing. We note that this matter is also being considered as part of the Commission’s ‘5 pillars’ inquiry – to which the ACTU is also planning to provide a submission as well as other verbal feedback through our roundtable participation.

As our submission will make clear, Australian unions have no in-principle objection to the concept of harmonisation of licensing requirements for relevant and appropriate occupations domestically. When we have opposed such moves in the past we have done so out of concern for an overall lowering of standards or, in some cases, the complete lack of attention being given to harmonisation of licensing standards prior to mutual recognition. With regard to international licences, our objections have traditionally focussed on the need to protect robust domestic licensing schemes and the consequences for foreign workers, including exploitation and abuse, that can often result from giving employers access to workers from overseas. Below we outline these issues in greater length. We offer these warnings not as an argument against harmonisation, but as an encouragement to government to undertake the often complex and difficult work of ensuring that domestic harmonisation occurs in the context of higher common standards and that international harmonisation occurs only where appropriate and with significant and ongoing industry involvement.

…