FORWARD WITH FAIRNESS – POLICY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
August 29, 2007

Bob Debus, Labor’s candidate for Macquarie, has welcomed the announcement that a Rudd Labor Government will introduce a fairer, more flexible industrial relations system.

“We will replace Mr Howard’s extreme WorkChoices laws and his unfair individual contracts, or AWAs,” said Mr Debus.

“A Rudd Labor Government will foster a strong, productive national economy, but an economy that also protects Australian working families.”
Labor’s workplace plan for Australia’s future will balance two core principles:

1. Providing flexibility for business, to keep our economy strong and productive.
2. Ensuring fair laws exist to protect Australian working families.

“A Rudd Labor Government will get this balance right for employers and working families in the Central West,” said Mr Debus.

“There is a clear case for workplace reform in Australia. A modern and flexible economy demands it.

“But Mr Howard’s unfair WorkChoices laws have gone too far. They have cut basic rights like overtime, penalty rates and leave loadings — not to mention job security.”

Labor’s Policy Implementation Plan will ensure that businesses and employees will have certainty and stability in the transition from Mr Howard’s unfair WorkChoices laws to Labor’s fair and flexible workplace laws.

There are 10 key elements to Federal Labor’s Policy Implementation Plan:

1 Certainty in the transition from AWAs
2 Individual flexibility for employees earning more than $100,000
3 Award flexibility
4 Collective agreement flexibility
5 Award modernisation and simplification
6 Special consideration for small business
7 Tough rules about industrial action
8 Right of entry rules remain
9 A stronger cop on the beat in the building and construction industry
10 A new fair and unbiased industrial umpire

“We will replace WorkChoices and provide a sensible transition to a system that gets the balance right between fairness and flexibility,” said Mr Debus.