The introduction of workchoices into the NSW campaign was a clever ploy by Labor to dupe voters. It worked. No doubt the spin doctors will feel pleased with themselves as they recline in plush leather chairs to admire the sweeping harbour views from their taxpayer funded offices for another four year term.
NSW voters will soon realise they were conned because workchoices is a Federal Government responsibility.
It was a convenient issue for the NSW Labor Government to mask their failures in economic management, service delivery and public safety. These failures have resulted in the NSW economy teetering on the edge of recession, a rail system assessed as ‘world’s worst practice’, a health system that cannot cope, and an education system that is failing our students.
It is little wonder they used the Federal workchoices legislation as a distraction.
The workchoices campaign was waged by big unions who used the NSW election campaign as a trial run for the Federal election campaign later in the year.
Allowing people to choose their working conditions is anathema to big union powerbrokers because it erodes their power base. They will therefore do whatever it takes to scare voters about its impact.
The facts of this progressive industrial relations reform tell a different story.
Since the legislation was introduced 12 months ago employment rose by 2.6 per cent – almost double the amount for the previous year. Working days lost to industrial disputes have been halved. The minimum wages safety net for unskilled workers rose by 4 percent in contrast to the past decade when the average was 3.7 per cent. This put an extra $27.36 per week in their pockets.
According to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics real wages have gone up 1.5 per cent since the introduction of workchoices. This is in contrast to the 13 years of the Hawke/Keating Labor Governments where real wages actually decreased by 1.8 per cent.
Since John Howard and Peter Costello assumed control of the Australian economy in 1996 there have been 2 million new jobs, real wages have increased by 20 per cent, and strikes have fallen to their lowest level since records were kept. Australia’s real wealth per person has doubled during this period.
These results will be imperiled if Labor get into power in Canberra and allow the big unions to wind back the clock.
We can’t allow their spin doctors to dupe us a second time on this issue.
Tags: My Opinion, Policy
