Fed: Abbott daunted but ready for IR task

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2000
Fed: Abbott daunted but ready for IR task

By Denis Peters

CANBERRA, Dec 20 AAP - New federal Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business
Minister Tony Abbott said today he felt daunted by the task ahead of him, but still made
time for some political headkicking.

Mr Abbott was yesterday moved from his Employment Services portfolio into cabinet for
the first time.

"I'm coming to IR pretty much as a novice, I've got to say," he told reporters in his
first press conference since the ministerial reshuffle.

"I'm looking forward to talking to (former Workplace Relations Minister) Peter Reith,
talking to some of my colleagues, learning some of their thoughts about some of these
issues before I leap into things."

But he showed his trademark aggression when responding to accusations by Opposition
Leader Kim Beazley this morning that he was a junior headkicker.

"Plainly, Mr Beazley seems to be concerned about what role I have had and might have
in the future," Mr Abbott said.

"But look, I'm prepared to have a go. Unfortunately Kim Beazley doesn't seem to have a go.

"The only person Kim has stood up to recently was John Della Bosca's wife," he said,
referring to this week's national conference meeting at which Belinda Neal lost her bid
to overturn a pre-selection vote.

Mr Abbott said pushing the government's unfair dismissal bill through the Senate was
his first goal.

"I'll be calling (Australian Democrats leader) Meg Lees fairly soon to tell her that
I'd like to work constructively with her.

"But obviously, we have an agenda and I guess the best place to start would be to try
to see what we can do to get the unfair dismissal laws through the Senate.

"Obviously we do have a lot of important, unfinished business in industrial relations
and the best start we could make would be to have another go at getting the unfair dismissal
legislation through the Senate."

He said he would work well with new Family and Community Services Minister Senator
Amanda Vanstone, despite some difficulties in their relationship earlier in the Howard
government's first term.

"I think Amanda and I will work together well.

"It's always tense in a new government but both Amanda and I have learned a lot since then."

AAP dep/daw/cjh

KEYWORD: RESHUFFLE ABBOTT

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