Will Labor IR bill end like Whitlam’s ‘surprise’ tariff cut?
The Secure Jobs, Better Pay initiative also involves radical changes lacking in an electoral mandate. Whether such bold reform again becomes political suicide will hinge on the outcomes and perception.
Gary BanksFounding chair of the Productivity Commission
It is 50 years since the Whitlam government stormed into power under the “It’s time” banner. While this slogan resonated well with most Australians, few would have been prepared for the flurry of novel policy initiatives that ensued, nor the manner in which many decisions were made.
There are few better examples of Whitlam’s idiosyncratic approach to policymaking than his efforts to bring much-needed institutional transparency to industry protection policy in Australia through the creation of the Industries Assistance Commission, while simultaneously progressing in secret this country’s largest single reduction in import tariffs.
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Gary Banks is a former chairman of the Productivity Commission and Dean of the Australia New Zealand School of Government.
