Monday, February 06, 2012

Abbott's unfair work act

Tony Abbott has flagged changes to the Federal Government's workplace laws if he were elected prime minister, but has stopped short of saying what he would change.

"We will change the act. They will be careful, cautious, responsible changes, and we will announce them in good time before the next election," Mr Abbott said.

"I certainly think there is a flexibility problem," he said of the Fair Work Act.

"There is a militancy problem, and above all else a productivity problem with the Fair Work Act."

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten said Labor redressed the imbalance from the coalition government's WorkChoices policy, taking it to the middle of the road.

That legislation is now under review by a panel of three experts.

Mr Shorten said the facts contradicted Mr Abbott's appraisal, as productivity had fallen under the former coalition government.

"Just because the Libs say 'trust us, we're Liberal, productivity will go up" isn't supported by facts," he said.

"When conservatives use the term flexibility, what they actually mean is that if you're poor ... you should take a pay cut.

"Why is it in Australia, coalition DNA says that the only way that the rich can get richer is by low-paid workers getting penalty rate cuts?"

No comments: