If anything, both major parties have been pandering to business over the whole of the last 3 decades, ever since the end of Whitlam. From money to american automakers, to a soft partial rollback of Howards IR laws, where should I start. The big end of town has had policy to order, all served up on a silver platter. An insider mentioned that the BCA even had a hand in writing some Howard government federal budgets. Work is competitive and there are alternative options? Maybe for a few, but I recall being offered oppressive terms, on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, due to being a member of an undesirable cultural group and having never previously satisfied other 'gatekeepers of experience' ie employers to get work commensurate with skill and ability. Look, business will never have enough, give them an inch, they'll want a yard. Its just like Patricks, Cowra abattoir, Mudginberri Meatworks, Rio/Hamersley and Robe River.

There are unions for a reason and that is too stop slave labour.When australia and australians of an era past believed in australian jobs and there was stabilty on australian ground to start a family.As production moved oversea's so did the idea of a working strong australian family.Your a fool if you think australia could survive without home grown production becuase it cannot .The government can tell you lies. All the government does is tax the people and give grants to spagetti throwing artist's .I believe the Labor Party is going to bankrupt australia as the do not see the australian economy as a business that can reap the rewards of a smart home grown business.David

I am always happy to read threads like this, the authors pain and lack of balance humors me.
Changes to IR in 1996, and workchoices got the balance very wrong.
Much more unbalanced and unfair that fair work seems to be, people like this author found nothing to complain about then.
Should the opposition remember it lost the last election, and that the government has a mandate for change, we will see no changes to fair work under a conservative government.
It for starters is a national scheme, something we needed years ago.
I predict however the senate, controlled as it is by single issue fools, will bring about a double dissolution by years end and Australia will have another chance to value workchoices vs fair work, bring it on.

Australia day, yet it would seem some think every thing we celebrate is only for some.
Workers who are unionists, and those who have benefited from union actions but are not unionists, are Australians.
No less than the employers who are members of so very many self interested bosses unions.
Who lobby both sides of government shamelessly , in self interest.
Who give so very much to party's they see as being their party.
Union members are rarely Socialists, even more rarely Communist, more often than most know they vote conservative.
Yet the pay checks they take home often run the towns and villages across Australia, current fears of down turns are based on them not spending.
Why can a worker not claim fair wages for his/her work?
Rudd's scheme is balanced, it is not fair to unions, it never was going to be.
Pattern bargains is not unfair.
Like industry's would benefit from knowing competitors wages are the same as his.
Mr Rudd I voted for you, always will, no other party cares for workers, see workchoices.
But you never sat down the day before payday and asked the wife do we buy bread or milk with the last $2?
Wages are workers profits.
Todays crisis did not come via workers greed, how dare some forget that.

OF course the Krudd government and its legal proposals pander to union movement.

The unions own this labor government, bought and paid for with TV advertising ...

and the proof...

just look at the cabinet line up,

more union stooges than any other sub-group.

des wrote "FWA constitutes a significant change that threatens to take Australia back to the day when decisions on employer-employee relations paid little heed to the economic situation facing employers"...

thats suicidal in the current and deteriorating economic climate...looks like its going to build into a world-class lasting storm...http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/MAKE-AUSTRALIA-WORK-brThe-crisis-is-just-beginning-$pd20090126-NMSFP?OpenDocument&src=sph ... 50% super value gone...housing market most over-valued in world eg gold coast median-price is x5 the annual household income...

so anyone/organized-group acting in 'unbalanced self interest'...is actually acting against us the people and our ability to survive/adapt to the current/future situation...

funny huh?...what we always knew we should watch out for...prevent organized 'unbalanced-self-interest' acting without accountability...but we didnt/ignored...nor act againsty...now we all as a group funnelled into an predictable situation...which we all could have seen if we were knew/given/watched when the steps/events/acts to this point were being effected by you know who...if that makes sense...

hope we as common people realize why and how's to 'how the real world works' by applying logic and reason to significant events on the way to how we got here...and learn to act with 'street smart intelligence'...as effectively as the 'unbalanced-self-interest' to counter-balance...by watching and getting involved in those crucial areas of government/parliament/industry etc(at the individual level unbalanced acts are locally damaging...but at organized, particulary global level...sheeesh it can affect human survival)...to effect a 'sustainable balanced outcome'...

yeah...we all are in for it now...and I suggest we readjust our hopes and expectations of the future to the minimum...so to lessen the emotional effect of the expected future...you know, kicking out bu*%s...and drive it positively by roll up our sleeves, and act smarter...isolate the destructive, empower the creative...always watch locally/globally...
sam
Ps~'government' now needs to become an 'effective investor' to protect the economy/jobs...so no more money sink holes...but creates wealth...so let corporations going down do so...and buy them at lowest...then effective management...later sell non-essential industries for profit to benefit the people...