BRISBANE’S Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) has welcomed an announcement by Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews that the Federal Government would accept the recommendations of a Senate committee report on the impact of the Independent Contractors Bill on outworkers in the clothing industry.
The bill is a follow-up to the WorkChoices legislation, which came into force in March, and is being considered by Federal Parliament.
The commission has been part of a national lobbying campaign by groups associated with FairWear, an organisation which campaigns for the rights of outworkers in the clothing industry.
Commission executive officer Peter Arndt said the CJPC saw the need to support efforts to ensure that vulnerable workers were not open to greater exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous employers.
Mr Arndt said the commission was grateful to members of the committee, led by Liberal Senator Judith Troeth, for understanding its concerns about outworkers.
