Fed: Bracks challenges Canberra on reform

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2007
Fed: Bracks challenges Canberra on reform

Changes keyword from States



MELBOURNE, April 10 AAP - Victorian Premier Steve Bracks says his plan to tackle obesity,
create more childcare places and help parents back to work will add $7 billion to the
national economy.

The Victorian premier has sent a 50-page, 10-point blueprint to Prime Minister John
Howard ahead of this Friday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting.

The plan challenges the federal government to join state and territory governments
in increasing childcare places, lifting literacy and numeracy standards and helping parents
return to work.

Mr Bracks told ABC Radio today the improvements in "human capital" resulting from the
plan would boost national productivity.

"We think it's at least (a) $7 billion contribution to the Australian economy," Mr Bracks said.

"The productivity commission actually backs it up and says that this is the most significant
factor in driving further productivity across Australia."

Joint investment by state and federal governments to tackle obesity could prevent up
to 100,000 new cases of diabetes every year, Mr Bracks said.

But the Victorian plan does not include the dramatic workplace reforms already introduced
by Mr Howard, Mr Bracks said.

"We have a difference on labor market reform with the commonwealth because clearly
we don't believe that will add to any further productive capacity in the Australian economy.

"There's always room for some change but not the radical change which will disadvantage
the take-home pay of workers and their conditions."

And Mr Bracks denied his plan - to be discussed at the last COAG meeting before the
federal election - was a ploy to help federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd's campaign.

"This is an ongoing agenda which the states and territories have been pursuing now
for at least the last five to six years," he said.

It was clear Australia's next wave of reform would come from improving skills and cutting
red tape, he said.

"We know that the current government does not have a significant agenda for reform.

This (reform plan) is the one which obviously has been signed on (to) by all states and
territories but we need to take the next step."

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KEYWORD: COAG BRACKS (CHANGES KEYWORD)

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