Gentlemen, I agree wholeheartedly, in my opinion it would be a crying shame to allow the ALP to win the next election purely on the notion that the public had had enough of the incompetence and falsehoods of the current Government.

The ALP should have to prove they are ready to govern by setting out a full list of policies, it looks as though we are back to Beazley's small target theory, which is bloody disquisting.

If they are an alternate Government, let them put forward alternate policies for public scrutiny.

To do so would place the ALP in the position of the Commonwealth taking away State powers - the Premiers would not like that.

The subtlety of WorkChoices is that it operates through the Corporations Act and has in fact broken the stranglehold that various union bodies had on employment. Furthermore the Govt has said that collusive arrangements with business AND unions are unfair and unlawful.

The ALP have nowhere to go except scaremongering, its what they are best at.

Keep the masses lean and keen so the economy will be efficient and the tax dollars will flow to Govt.This is a laudable and practical solution to achieve an efficient economy but where is the justice?

What the Howard and Keating Govts have failed to acknowledge is that the masses don't mind sacrifice if there is a real reward for obscurity and hard work at the end of their working lives.

How about no tax on super contributions for the working poor?Why should those who have been good and faithful workers be punished while the bludgers still get a free ride?

The distribution of wealth should not be done via Govt welfare but we should use the share market as a means of rewarding those who are dedicated to their jobs.

Why not reduce the tax for workers who take up shares in the company for which they work?

We have too many dis-incentives for ordinary folk to do the extra hard yards and too often reward the slothful poor and greedy capitalists.

As a lifetime trade unionist and as a Labor member I am not threatened by change and reform.
Whorkchoices is none of the above, unions will evolve and the author is not far from the future system we will have.
I am quite sure the ALP is crafting its plan for IR now but clearly wish to warn the party it about time to let us in on the plan.
Kim Beazley has in the past run a last minute policy release plan, and it failed, as it should have, policys that need to be hidden till the last minute are unworthy of all who await a non conservative repare team goverment in Australia.

I think the politics are against a fully rounded ALP IR policy until the High Court reaches a decision on the scope of the Work Choices laws.

On the policy issues - why should unions accept AWAs ? As the authors note the take up rate is laughable and is only likely to expand where employers can cut pay and conditions. Isn't that something an incoming Labor Government may seek to remedy ? The simplest cure is to get rid of them.

I would have thought the first responsibility of an Opposition is to oppose bad laws. WorkChoices is a bad law and should be opposed. I see nothing wrong in saying nothing more than Labor will get rid of it, if that implies returning to the 1993 Act then we may be getting somewhere

While the ALP does need to take on the IR Laws it first or at least at the same time needs to put some flesh on its parched bones.

After of the last election the common cry from the party after some weeks of examining entrails and mourning the loss of Mark What's his name those MPs left standing where heard to say the public simply did not know what the ALP stood for - they still do not.

For the ALP to try simply to pick apparent winners, like the IR laws seem to be,is a fragile and short sighted policy.

Even if WorkCoices is unpopular unjust or un anything else the party needs to be more than just a one trick pony - people get used to the unfair and unjust - the coalition plenty to divert our atention and they will use it.

Howard has already pointd to the "troubles" in Oceania and how we may be needed for longer than we think - spare us that he says we are required to do the 'heavy lifting" - and he has rekindled our fear of northern invaders by ruling out of bounds even more of our country.

they can then scare the crap out us by suggesting that there is a wave of geriatrics just over the horizon ready to swarm down and demand to be looked after - so there is no way we can afford tax relief or infrastructure developement, or fee relief for indebted students, or relief from the costs imposed by rapcious oil companies, funded by the public purse regardless of how fat it is.

THe ALP needs strstegies to counter this sort of agenda:

The ALP needs to broaden its horizons and stop taking comfort in a few points scored after the Cole enquiry proceedings or a few mealy mouthed sound bites defending sacked workers when they know there is stuff all they can really do about it until they can convince people they are ready to take charge - and right now they aint.