IR reform will indeed take away much more than tax cuts so will interest rates and fuel costs.
However watch some from left of centre try to drag down the ALP when in ofice it comes to real reform of the national IR landscape.
That reform can not be roll back ,unless constant turmoil at every goverment change is to be our future Labor must both be fair and truely reform.
Rights of entry, removal of so much aimed at killing unions and workers rights[not always the same thing] but maybe one national system will come.
some unions too must reform the way they service members and deliver outcomes, new better services like union employment help already are in place in more responsive unions.
IR reform is just one of many election wining plans the ALP needs and to remind its own left that SOLIDARITY has benefits.

IMPORTANT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

The Howard IR laws has gone to the high court. The most important legal case in 50-100yrs and a growing number of legal experts are worried if the laws are not stopped it will be the beginning of the States demise.

This government is destroying Australia on so many fronts. The most damaging and badly written IR legislation that was rushed through parliament by a puppet coalition senate. Save us High Court!

How can a so called legal expert like Kevin Andrews put his name on such a bill. At least one senator admitted to not reading the bill and I suspect most
senators didn't bother.

A government that illegally sells Telstra who turns a blind eye to corrupt payments by AWB not to mention the compulsory ID card. That is if you are not rich.

Then there lies on Iraq, GST and children overboard and what about forcing disabled to work.

Howard and Liberal voters, you made a bad choice with your last vote. This time don't fall for the interest rate rubbish (which they don't control) and baby bonus bribes or small tax cuts.

One day we will have a PM who doesn’t stab us in the back. Mr Howard, go and live in America. Oh that’s right your on holidays there right now

Belly,
With hedgehog, Scout Sly and myself all attempting to show you reason and common sense, do you yet have the notion that perhaps you could be wrong. If the ALP rids itself of the right wing {people who want to vote right wing have the Liberals} and return to being a traditional Labor {Labour} Party, representing low and middle income working families, they would gain much electoral support.

Ever head people in public say "the Labor Party isn't what it used to be"? This is because it has been hi-jacked by the right wing, in Townsville the ALP candidate for next years election is a millionaire owner of 7 McDonald's franchises. Now what if anything would he know about the plight of low to middle income Australian families who are bleeding profusely, answer NOTHING. He is of couse one of Belly's right wing mates, employing "child labour" to make his millions, he lives on the slopes of Castle Hill, looking down on the rest of us, and we are supposed to vote for him, no way me!

The federal, and for that matter state ALP parliamentarians do not have a single rep with a working class history to influence their policies, no wonder they have been in opposition at a federal level for a decade. In the States, it's a choice between tweedledee, and tweedeledum, so no reason to change your vote, same at federal level.

Unless the ALP turns itself into something usefull it will remain the largest pressure group in Australia, why, because it doesn't deserve to win. They need to rid themselves of many of the right wing, and become a centre-left party once more, a progressive party, not afraid to support alternate green energy, because their oil company backers wouldn't like it, what a sad position for a once great party to find itself in.

Shonga please you do understand that the centre right of the ALP is not right?
That elections are won by the majority voteing for that party?
How can you for a second think the eldest son of 16 kids of a NSW railway fettler, trade union oficial, and party member would be anti worker?
Mate I repect you but do you understand those who complain about this phantom workers ALP need to tell me when it last existed!
Hawk had us execpting no wages rises, He and Keiting are our only sucsess storeys in my in life[I lived in whitlams times and was an extreme left Labor person].
Would you expect a Labor goverment lead by ANY of todays front bench to not.
Truely reform IR, not end ofshore dention of children, not try to fix Australia wide health, education and tax?
Not to want better superanuation outcomes?
Reality is I grew out of my socialistic dreams ,countrys must be governed for all, even now again as Tony Blair is being undermined by his own party surely its clear that demolition is takeing British Labor back to the opersition benchs.
Some of the anti Belly stuff is based on my conservtive trade union, I refuse to name and shame some of the childish acts of other unions that saw landslide of new members for mine.
And I will never stop looking for a stable long term Labor goverment.
Wonnt come? yes it will brother!

Belly,
Cenre right? I have been a Labor Party member since 1974 and have never heard of such a group, perhaps it's an AWU smokescreen, sold to tou and others willing to listen, it does not exist! Bill Hayden for a while formed a centre-left, but there has never been a centre right mate. I belong to no faction, although my leanings would be classified as centre-left if it still existed. The Shadow cabinet may alter those issues a little, my point is the ALP began it's life as the political wing of the Union Movement, but has since been capured by the "elitist" right wing of the party, which includes Shorten and Ludwig, who only pay lip service to working people. You are correct the ALP must appeal to the majority to win an election. The majority of Australians are working people who are unable to distiguish the difference between a right wing ALP and a right wing Liberal Party, with good reason. The right wing massages the bosses, and the left does likewise to working people, which is why the ALP haven't been, nor look like being in government federally for a decade.

Unless and until the federal ALP exorcises the right wing from it's ranks, working people will never trust them with government, because they know it will be government for the wealthy, at their expense, much like the current government, so it comes down to a choice between "chips or straws" most are content to stick with the devil they know.

SHONGA I truely admire your solidarity with workers and never before in a post have I said this mate but you have an unrealistic view of our partys future and its past.
Workers in large numbers have not voted for us for 3 elections, we need to understand your view of workers is wrong.
Your view that Labor did anything other than follow the voters is unrealistic.
The NSW Labor right has governed this state for record lengths and Hawk Keiting and our next Prime Minster will come with those colors.
some workers earn near $100.000 as little more than blue colar workers and may I asure you many vote conservate.
This unrealistic view is in part to blame for us being on the wrong side of the house, think for a while on this .
We both love the ALP, and hate workchoices however one of us is quite wrong ,how can you be confedent it is always me?