Business Funds Wasted On Chamber Of Commerce And Industry Obsession With Workers Picnic Day

Wayne Berry - Opposition Spokesperson on Industrial Relations

Media Statement - 2 February 2000

Wayne Berry, Labor Shadow Industrial Relations Minister and architect of the law to defend the ACT's picnic day holiday, has described the annual attack on union picnic day as a waste of the business community's funds. Mr Berry has called on Canberra businesses to ignore the ACT and Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry's plea for more money.

Mr Berry's call follows the Chamber's appeal to Canberra businesses to fund yet another attack on picnic day for the Territory's private sector workforce.

"The Chamber has already spent over $60,000 of its members' scarce resources on legal fees as well as other costly staff resources in its recent attacks on the picnic day - all money which could be better utilised to improve opportunities for business in the Territory.

"When will the Chamber accept that the picnic day has been made law by the ACT Legislative Assembly and discontinue its costly and mean-spirited attack on a picnic for the Territory's workers and their families.

"Around $120,000 has been spent in recent times in a wasteful campaign which has produced nothing for business except false hopes created by the Chamber. Now the Chamber wants to raise funds for an Industrial Relations Commission hearing where it costs the Chamber nothing to appear.

"And even if the Chamber had knocked off the holiday - WHAT A VICTORY!!!. Tens of thousands of ACT private sector workers, including the lowest paid, would be denied a holiday (and a picnic with their families) when the public and finance sectors still enjoy their own holiday. TALK ABOUT MISERABLE!

"The Chamber has mounted a campaign against the holiday for a number of years I hope this is the last.

"It is about time Canberra businesses told the Chamber they don't want their image tarnished by this miserable approach to a large portion of the ACT community and refused to provide any more funds for the Chamber's obsession," Mr Berry concluded.