JULIA GILLARD M.P.
Deputy Labor Leader
Shadow Minister for Employment & Industrial Relations
Shadow Minister for Social Inclusion
Wednesday September 15, 2007

Today the Deputy Labor Leader and Shadow Minister for Employment & Industrial Relations, Julia Gillard, will campaign in the Central West with Bob Debus, Federal Labor candidate for Macquarie.

Julia Gillard and Bob Debus will be speaking to Bathurst and Lithgow residents about the issues that matter to them in the lead-up to the Federal election.

Ms Gillard said Labor Leader Kevin Rudd had fresh ideas and a long-term plan to ensure Australia reached its full potential: a strong, modern economy that rewarded hard work and innovation but also delivered for working families.

“After 11 long years, the Howard Government has lost touch with working families. Mr Howard’s extreme WorkChoices laws have gone too far,” said Ms Gillard.

“Some working people feel secure in their own job for now but worry about their children and grandchildren.

“Parents worry about how their kids are going to get a fair go in the future under WorkChoices.”

Bob Debus said Prime Minister John Howard’s comments that ‘working families in Australia have never been better off’ did not reflect the reality of many Central West residents.

“I know many working families in the Central West are struggling to make ends meet with increasing mortgage repayments, child-care costs and petrol prices,” said Mr Debus.

“The Howard Government has gone too far with their extreme workplace laws which have taken away basic award conditions like penalty rates, overtime and even public holidays.”

Ms Gillard said Labor would get rid of Mr Howard’s extreme WorkChoices laws, particularly his unfair individual contracts, AWAs.

“Labor’s new fair and balanced industrial relations system will provide individual flexibility for employers and employees, but it will be flexibility upwards,” she said. “Labor’s Forward with Fairness policy gets the balance right by giving working families a fair go, and ensuring we can compete in a global economy.

“Under Labor, employees will be able to bargain to improve their wages and conditions, but no one will be able to rip away basic conditions like penalty rates and overtime.”