Sue Templeman

Letter to Your Rights at Work

I am writing to introduce myself as the Labor candidate for Macquarie. I have lived locally for 20 years after making the decision to raise my family in the lower Blue Mountains.

I run a small media training business with 9 employees. I believe that rights at work are pivotal to ensuring every Australian get a fair go in life.

I am a proud member of the Media Arts and Entertainment Alliance (MEAA), the union for employees in the communications industry. Like you, I worked in 2007 with the Union Movement, and the community to bring an end to WorkChoices and the Howard Government.

Since then the Labor Government has introduced the Fair Work Act which provides a more balanced and fair approach to employment law and brought an end to individual contracts. It restored unfair dismissal rights to 4.3 million workers.

I am concerned that these gains may be jeopardised if a Tony Abbott-led Liberal Government is elected.

Under Tony Abbott, WorkChoices is never dead. In his book ‘Battlelines’ Mr Abbott wrote: “It [WorkChoices] was good for workers”. Tony Abbott might not mention the word, but he will always return to the worst aspects of WorkChoices.

Since being nominated as the Labor Candidate for Macquarie, I have met with community sector workers and I understand their struggle to improve their pay and conditions. I have signed the ASU’s pledge for Equal Pay and, if elected, I will work with State Government to ensure that the award is funded so as not to disadvantage service delivery.

Over the past three years Federal Labor has delivered on jobs and industrial relations. We have managed the economy through the worst recession in 80 years and have come out of the Global Financial Crisis with around 5% unemployment. This figure, compared with other similar nations like the UK and USA, is at half the rate of unemployment in those countries.

I understand that there is still more to be done and that is why I am asking you to give the Federal Labor Government led by Julia Gillard a second term.

When voting on the 21st August please consider the Liberals track record on industrial relations. The election of an Abbott Government is too big a risk. For this reason Macquarie residents need to think seriously about who they elect.

You can trust that as your representative I will always speak up for rights at work. Please vote for me and the Gillard Labor team.

Yours sincerely,

Susan Templeman
Labor Candidate for Macquarie.