:)

Wobbles, its no different to any other political body, generally full of sh!t. Those that it is supposed to represent are too busy just surviving to try to force any change. Probably no different to any other group in that sense, including the trade unions....

I claim no sainthood for trade unions, however not everything that is said about them is true.
I would gladly bring some change if I could, but we must not forget some very real grubs are employers.
I operate as an old time union official did for me in my youth, get close with your members and regard them as mates, always be unhappy if you can not help them out.
We all know the anti union stuff ,how many know the anti workers story's?
I had no car today it broke down returning from a 1200 klm round trip so I luckily had another official with me.
Intent on getting a fair go for casual workers on a civil construction site we sat down with the prime contractor.
High lighting some of those workers had been direct employees on his last job and soon would be on this one.
Inviting comment on the fact including casual loading of 25% they are all paid less than the lowest paid full time worker on site[ who atrack holiday pay, and about $300 a week in total paid allowances more than the casuals.
You could if you wanted to say a union official pressing the poor boss for higher wages!
Not so fair go mate! was MY REQUEST NOTHING MORE.
He informed me it was the law under workchoices it could be done!?
And after I was able to confirm he had casual employees on his site who had not been issued boots glasses and shirts, he stuck by its the law!
How do these victims of workchoices live on so much less?
Working 6 days 10 hours how can one Australian do this to another?
If unions are wrong what do you think of this firm?
Products of unwed parents, some grubs never turn into butterfly's this mob will find that is true.

Country Gal

The median wage does reflect the wage that the majority of workers earn, this is an example of the median.

"Suppose 19 paupers and 1 billionaire are in a room. Everyone removes all money from their pockets and puts it on a table. Each pauper puts $5 on the table; the billionaire puts $1 billion there. The total is then $1,000,000,095. If that money is divided equally among the 20 persons, each gets $50,000,004.75. That amount is the mean (or "average") amount of money that the 20 persons brought into the room. But the median amount is $5, since one may divide the group into two groups of 10 persons each, and say that everyone in the first group brought in no more than $5, and each person in the second group brought in no less than $5. In a sense, the median is the amount that the typical person brought in. By contrast, the mean (or "average") is not at all typical, since no one present—pauper or billionaire—brought in an amount approximating $50,000,004.75."

I note that the ABS has stopped reporting median wages, it stopped in 2004. They used to report median and average, not anymore I wonder why?

House prices are reported as the median price, if they used the average price it would scare people witless. Just one example of how mean and tricky our Govt. has become.

ie It takes x months of average wages to buy the median house. Apples with apples Joe. :)

It is a shame that threads in this forum sometimes slip away out of sight and out of mind while still of interest to many.
And also that the threads that sometimes replace them are of little interest to most.
This thread will be gone soon as all fall in time but the thread is a part of the federal election debate that this country must have .
If current polls and public views hold we will soon have one party in power right across Australia.
In fact it would be unthinkable that this will not be the case.
Unions are for the most part putting every effort into removing Howard and looking at excepting far less than the full list they would want after workchoices is gone.
Hardly the union bosses of the 40.s and even 50,s while the debate is going to continue in many threads under many names it will Eb and flow as it slips away each week.
I would ask posters who do not truly understand unions to look into those groups who do have the very real power ,conservative groups who give big money to this government and directions.
Big business unions are in charge of the governments ears and secrete groups who act so very much worse than trade unions in the dark .
Just look and you will find some anti union groups act far worse and without being held accountable.

Belly, you are spot on.

These groups don't just lobby the Govt. on policy. They actually write the policy for them.

Costello's latest scare campaign, the GST will be increased under Labor, they are getting desparate.

They are indeed getting desperate lies and miss information are not policy's and even conservatives are not buying it this time.
The election will see a great deal of conservatives vote ALP in the senate.
Surely John Howard and the true power behind his throne his wife know while lies worked in the first two terms they are unlikely to now?
In the Tampa thing brand new Labor candidates with lower IQs than the family dog helped Howard by discarding the party line.
And the public did not care about the lies, they now do very much so.
The your rights at work campaign is a community one not just unions.
John Howard must think of conservative party's long term future not his own ambition, it clearly is time to go.
The only question who will take his place?
Liberalism on the opposition bench's needs a leader who on taking office heads back to Liberalism and discards the dirty tactics.
Why is the Australian Medea not reporting on the endless hen pecking of John Howard in public by his wife?
It is common knowledge that books will be written about it after the conservative train wreck.