Greens MPs

There are increasing concerns that the Government's Forward with Fairness legislation will not be delivering sustainable fair workplace laws but rather will be serving up Work Choices-lite.

The Greens have already argued the award modernisation process will result in a deterioration of minimum conditions of work, particularly affecting workers who are not able to access genuine collective bargaining.

On 12 November 2008 I read out in the Senate the stories of women workers finding life difficult under the current laws and wondering what life will be like under Forward with Fairness. The Greens strongly believe the voices of disadvantaged workers must be heard in the upcoming debate.

This piece was first published yesterday by Larvatus Prodeo.

Massive upheaval is occurring to Australia’s standard employment conditions and minimum wages, with little to no understanding or public attention.
The ‘award modernisation’ process currently underway in the AIRC, following a request from the Workplace Relations Minister, Julia Gillard, will impact on all Australian workers … either directly through loss of conditions or indirectly through lowering the base from which agreements can be made.

While the Rudd Government likes to compare its IR policy with Work Choices (…so it can say things are slightly better than they might have been), a better way of evaluating their policy is to look at the industrial relations system that existed in Australia before the aberration of Work Choices. On this test the Government is failing to provide adequate protection for workers.

Surprisingly,

During Senate Estimates last night, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission confirmed $1.8 million of funding to support workplace related complaints has been cut by the Rudd Government, placing more stress on the Commission.

The Rudd-Gillard Labor Government has just passed its first piece of IR reform legislation through the Senate. For many who engaged with the Your Rights at Work campaign and voted to see the end of Howard's Work Choices, the result may seem a little disappointing as this legislation doesn't go as far as it could or should.

Or ‘Will Labor's IR laws be the biggest ever fraud on the Australian public?'

Today we have the pleasure of featuring a guest post from Adam Bandt, who stood for the Seat of Melbourne in the 2007 Federal election.

I am constantly amazed at the Howard Government's lack of interest in the real care and education of our children. Cutting corners on the health and well-being of today's generation of children is a false economy, as the consequence costs to society of poorer lifetime health and lower educational achievements and social engagement are massive. There is a need to focus on areas such as paid parental leave, childcare and early childhood education, and work/life balance provisions within our workplace relations system as ways in which these outcomes can be achieved.

We have seen changes to workplace relations ('Work Choices') that make it harder for working parents to balance their working commitments with their family life; we have seen changes to our welfare system ('Welfare to Work') that takes money and entitlements away from parents on income support and introduces harsh compliance conditions; and we have seen changes to the funding of our schools which creates a two-tiered system that takes money away from public education.

The Australia @ Work report is a reputable academic report outlining the issues that affect Australian workers under Work Choices. Surprise, surprise, since the results are less than favourable towards the Government, they are attempting to discredited the whole report due to the association with Unions NSW.

It is irresponsible to write-off any research in this manner, and frankly, it doesn't do them any good. By resorting to a simple smear campaign, the Government is merely reducing their own credibility and losing face in an ever increasing battle to keep Work Choices afloat. We have seen a range of responses from Liberal politicians, all focussed around the credibility and impartiality of those researchers involved.