Hawke slams 'immoral' IR changes

[Sapphocrat]

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke has delivered a stinging rebuke of the Federal Government's industrial relations changes.

In the annual Lionel Murphy lecture in Sydney, Mr Hawke described the changes as an attempt to destroy the trade union movement and the arbitration system.

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"It is wrong. It is unfair. It is un-Australian. It is immoral," he said.

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He says the laws are an assault on the core Australian notions of a fair go, and the belief that governments should protect the most vulnerable.

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More:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1491550.htm

[foreigncorrespondent]

1. This is great!!!

I have a couple of comments for Mr Costello though:

He said: "But federal Treasurer Peter Costello is confident the public will see the wisdom of the Government's IR reforms once they have been implemented."

Yes, I am sure we will as we stand in bread lines because we can't afford food anymore.

"He believes all the fuss will have blown over by the next election."

Yes, only because we will all be dead from starvation by then!

I am so sick of this shit. Because I lost my job earlier this year I have been trying to find more work. But why? I know I don't have any bargaining power when it comes time to sign the AWA. And basically if I don't sign it, I will lose my unemployment benefits for refusing a job.

For all Aussies this is a no win situation (paid for by our taxes) but for the unemployed and stay home mothers, it is nothing but trouble.

We are going to be forced into taking a job we won't be happy in. And worse treated like slaves.

Welcome to the convict days!

[Matilda]

2. I saw this speech last night on TV.

I don't care for Hawke personally, but he can still pull something
out of the hat when it's called for.

He's right about one thing - this is an all-out assault to destroy
the trade unions. And why were trade unions formed? Because of
people like Howard and Costello, who believed that workers were
only entitled to the crumbs left after the bosses finished eating.

[foreigncorrespondent]

3. Yeah!

I didn't see it on telly last night, because I was stuck on pay tv on CNNI waiting to see if they would announce indictments. LOL

And yeah, he is right. But they are stupid, because the majority of working class Australia (from the polls I have seen through sky news etc) don't want the laws. So if they think once they are introduced it is gonna change our minds, then they are in for one hell of a rude awakening.

Now if only the left would wake the hell up and become a true opposition party again.

[Djinn]

4. bit rich from the man

who started the ball rolling on the "destroy the unions" game. ahile anyone denouncing these changes is welcome to talk as loud as they can I get a bit annoyed when it's anyone from the ALP, perhaps if they hadn't abandoned working people so badly those people wouldn't have felt the need to vote (however misguidely) for the coalition

[Matilda]

5. I know - while I look around me in despair at what's happening today,

most of it started with Hawke and Keating. Did they ever envisage
just how far it would go?

Even so, I can't imagine that either of them would be putting up
the tame performance we're seeing today from Beazley. Either the
man has lost his marbles, or he's a closet Liberal.

[Djinn]

6. he's not even in the closet anymore is he?

Howard gets more grief from Georgiou and Joyce than he does the leader of the opposition