With the acceptance by the Australian Senate of the WorkChoices Industrial Relations Reforms on 2 December [D2], the Howard government made another step forward in continuing to secure the prosperity and security of all Australians.
Why, then, did the Trade Unions and so many lefties kick up such a fuss, you might well ask. Well, the answer to that question is fairly straightforward:
- They do not care about the plight of the unemployed, since they cannot be members of any Trade Union;
- They, like their friends in the Labor Party, do not understand economics and, therefore, cannot seem to wrap their small minds around the fact that these laws will add yet another boost to the Australian economy;
- They have steadfastly refused to acknowledge the reality that we are living in a globalised economy and must do everything we can to prevent our jobs from moving off-shore; and
- They are megalomaniac fools who cannot accept that their time of dictating bad labour decisions to the Australian population has past.
Let me explain.
Economic Globalisation
The reality is that, within the current globalised economy, Australians are no longer just competing with each other for jobs. We are also in competition with Indians, Chinese, Indonesians, Americans, and other workers from all over the world. The problem, before D2, was that Australians suffered from an enormous disadvantage. As a result of our complex Industrial Relations system, our high minimum wage, our inflexible workplace conditions, and our overly aggressive unions, Australian labour was unattractive to corporations. As a result, many of our own businesses have been shifting their operations offshore and many more international corporations have chosen not to invest in Australia.
Lost Opportunities
Now the unions and the lefties would like you to think that these jobs that Australians are missing out on are the kind of jobs that we don’t want anyway; that it is only “sweatshop work”. But this is simply not true. First of all, any job is better than the indignity of being unemployed, a fact that those elitist lefties simply cannot understand since most of them have never left university. Additionally, these jobs include positions in the IT industry, financial management and telecommunications — all skilled industries with growing international markets.
The Unemployed
While Australian workers have been suffering as our outdated Industrial Relations laws reduced the work choices available to them, that is nothing compared to the disservice that has been done to Australia’s unemployed. Of course, since they aren’t members of any union, the Trade Unions don’t give a stuff about them. Thankfully, however, the Howard government does. Since the introduction of Mutual Obligations, Howard has shown that he understands how important it is not to give up on the unemployed. While the Labour party has shown itself willing to leave the unemployed in their state of social uselessness (and to see their numbers swell during Keating’s recession), Howard has continually shown a willingness to give them a chance to prove themselves and gain valuable work experience along the way. By reforming our Industrial Relations laws and assisting business to make better use of the Australian workforce, Howard is once again giving the unemployed such an opportunity.
Flexibility
But don’t get me wrong; this is not all about helping the corporations create more jobs. The new reforms will also help everyday Australians by granting them more say in the negotiations of their workplace conditions. No longer will Australian workers be forced to work under union conditions. Instead, our best and brightest will have more scope for securing their just rewards and others will able to step out of the 9-5, Monday to Friday shackles, and negotiate more flexible hours that better suit their other personal commitments.
Win-Win
Ultimately, the new Industrial Relations reforms are a win-win solution for Australians and Corporations. They get a more cost effective, flexible workforce, and we get more jobs and more individual control over our workplace conditions.
Welcome to the 21st Century Australia!
Kristy, I’m ignorant of necronomics, but does this all mean that the unemployed here could get real lucky (like those people in the USA) and get some real dignity with a real classy job (like in a hamburger joint), that pays the princely sum of US$5 per hour?
I.R? Sweetie!! Who gives a damn as long as I can marry my partner Phil (not his real name), and women are allowed access to unlimited late term abortions under Medicare. THAT’S what we as Progressyve Australians should be striving for!
Yes, it’s been said before but I’ll say it again - these cristian fundo types want to take away our God given rights to do whatever we choose to do, and thats just NOT RIGHT!
Stand up and be counted fellow progressyves!
Dont let hoWARd, the Butcher Of Bennelong take away our dog given rights!
The new global economy relies more and more on the beauty of the contractor and the flexible workforce, an ideal that provides great freedom to the individual and lets him and her escape the shackles of rigid, union-controlled work arrangements.
No more will we have unions injecting their sticky fingers into the workplace and making unwanted arrangements for overtime or holidays. All those are part of the archaic old way of working.
Now workers will be free to make their own mutually beneficial arrangements with employers, with the helpful assistance of recruitment consulting firms.
Academic Contracting specialises in providing staff at costs much lower than you are used to paying, and can assist in structuring your contracting arrangements to fully comply with all relevant legislation.
I have already been unfairly dismissed by the Age, but you haven’t seen me joining the alienated ranks of the Howard-haters, which shows that the new laws are nothing to get excited about and proves the majority of Australian voters at the last federal election were right.
To go back to Peter Perlesfeld, I’m so bored with the lefties thinking they are the only ones who care about workers. If you lefties really cared for them you’d recognise that they deserve the right to ask their bosses directly for pay rises. It’s about human dignity. On the way to knocking on that boss’ door they’ll learn a lot about self-esteem. And if they are unlucky enough to work for the 0.4% of businesses who treat their workers slightly less than kindly, and are rebuffed, they’ll benefit too. After all, that which does not kill you makes you stronger, and there are any number of other industries willing to pay $200 a week for their services.