Surely the essence of a level playing field. Remember the former minister who left office crying competition competition (Telstra that was, the first sale) all the way to retirement.

Any person who lived in Sydney during the 80’s, can still remember the industrial turmoil which caused serious damage to Australia’s economy and trading reputation. They remember the ongoing petrol strikes, one of which went on for so long that 80% of the cars in Sydney were off the road. They remember the endless infighting between the Waterside Workers Federation and the Storemen and Packers at Port Botany, which saw entire fleets of ships sitting of our coastlines for months at a time. They remember the anarchy and violence caused by the Builders Labourers Union on Sydney’s building sites.

The Union system of collective bargaining could work very well, provided that the Unions act responsibly. Since the unions have never been noted for that virtue, it was inevitable that a subcontracting and bodyhire system would supersede it. This system is now working very well. Non performing workers now have to face the awful reality that they have to lift their game. Since such people were hardly an insignificant minority in some key industries, this has been of significant benefit to the Australian economy. It may even be the sole reason why Australia’s economy powered ahead of other western growth rates during the 90’s.

Is this new system open to abuse by large employers and shady sub contractors? Very much so. It may become so open to abuse that it will almost certainly have to be scrapped. The Prime Minister, John howard can see himself the opportunities for large scale abuse, and he has now created a new government department to oversee the sub contract system and keep it viable for as long as possible.

One only hopes that when the Unions step forward to protect future exploited workers, they will have learned their lesson that they can not hold an entire country to ransom in order to benefit their particular members.

That is probably a forlorn hope.

Redneck, aren’t you out of your depth, here? Perhaps not, as you are still knocking the “worker!” Contractors are still, “workers,” and if we are too busy name calling, and bringing up the 80’s and how A petrol strike, stopped 80% of the cars jamming up the roads? Did you good to walk, did it not? The cars weren’t off the roads, long enough, then to get the brain ticking, and the body moving, to come up with Alternate fuel, or design, or even better public transport. Too much bickering and squabbling amongst ourselves, that is why “Little Johnnie,” got back into power, and put forward his "squash the worker" ideals, in the first place. CFMEU should not take this move of his, lying down.

If any worker signs a workplace agreement, does he or she not become a contractor? If so, doesn't this contractor have the same rights to the same tax breaks as a 'subbie'(brickie or chippie)?

When is a "contractor" not a "contractor".

The Australian Tax Office used to say that contractors earned no more than 80% of their revenue from one source. So if an AWA is effectively a contract then the ATO needs to change its tune.

As I said on another thread working as a contractor for low of average wages is a mug's game and the federal government is very wicked to push average and low paid workers onto AWA's and individual contracts.

We are returning to a Hobbesian state of nature