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Fair Work boss to face Senate grilling

News Clippings Ewin Hannan , The Australian, October 29 2009

THE president of Fair Work Australia, Geoff Giudice, has been forced to submit to Senate estimates questioning after the Senate yesterday passed a motion requiring him to attend a hearing.

The Coalition secured the backing of independent senators Steve Fielding and Nick Xenophon to pass a motion that Justice Giudice appear before Senate estimates in February next year.

While Coalition senators had wanted Justice Giudice to appear, the Labor majority on the Senate Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations did not push for him to give evidence.

In a statement last night, Justice Giudice said he had believed his attendance was not required.

``The chair of the relevant Senate committee had indicated to me on two occasions that the committee did not require my attendance for the estimates hearings,’’ he said.

``The Senate has apparently now decided my presence is required at those hearings and I shall be there.’‘

Coalition senator Mary Jo Fisher said it was important that Justice Giudice submit to questioning.

``He is responsible for running Fair Work Australia in an efficient manner and that’s what estimates is all about,’’ she said.

Justice Giudice had previously told the committee that its questions might best be answered by the general manager of Fair Work Australia, Tim Lee.

Mr Lee appeared last week.

Justice Giudice said it was ``accepted that heads of similar commonwealth institutions, such as the High Court, the Family Court and the Federal Court, who have responsibility for the administration of these bodies, do not appear’‘.