On Tuesday night, in his last major interview with the ABC's 7.30 Report, Tony Abbott was asked about his sudden change of heart about industrial relations.
Worryingly, he didn't rule out making changes to the regulations that underpin the Fair Work laws. We know there's about 200 different ways the Liberals can 'tweak' the regulations to bring the worst elements of WorkChoices.
Tony Abbott's big business mates want a Coalition government to reintroduce WorkChoices. Tony Abbott's record as a Minister in the Howard government tells us a lot about his real views on important matters like health, education and workers' rights and entitlements.
The big business and employer wish list for changes that would reduce rights at work lifts the lid on what Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party have planned if they win the 2010 election. The Liberal Party's silence over industrial relations in this election campaign has been deafening, but the public statements of employer and business groups speak volumes.
An analysis of hundreds of pages of employer submissions, public statements, media reports and other documents reveals an agenda to:
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strip unfair dismissal rights from workers,
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cut minimum standards,
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remove redundancy protections, and
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reintroduce individual contracts.
The HR Nicholls Society, a right-wing lobby group, have confirmed concerns that recently won rights at work can be wound back through changes to regulations and Ministerial powers, without altering legislation.
Given the business agenda and Tony Abbott's own statements before the election, voters have good reason not to trust the Coalition on WorkChoices.
Today is the last day for the Liberals to release their industrial relations agenda. The Liberals are not being fair dinkum with Australian workers about their industrial relations agenda.
This election is too important to let Tony Abbott and the Liberals take us back to WorkChoices.
