Paul if your father in-law is living in his own home, tell him to get on to the mature age office of centrelink, & ask for advice.

There are a large number of government funded support agencies, designed to help oldies to continue to live in their own homes. centrelink should be able to advise on the ones in his area.

They will send suitable repair people out to fix your father in laws equipment, such as power, gas, water & safety equipment for him. They cover all labour costs, charging only for the parts used.

Some of these people may not be the very best tradesmen, but they are mostly very genuine & helpful. One spent an entire day overhauling my mothers gas hot water system, with no reduction in excessive gas consumption. He did not see the pilot light was burnt out causing the waste. These blokes can't know everything about every make or model.

Your commercial repair man may have spent a couple of days learning about the problem with your oldies stove. This is a common problem for them. They are then inclined to charge 30% for doing the repair, & 70% for knowing what to do. In many instances this is reasonable, after all we pay a brain surgeon more for knowing how to do the job, than for doing it.

Would you suggest the brain surgeon should not be rewarded for the time spent learning his trade? If it's OK for the surgeon, then why not for the repair man?

Yuyutsu, while I never paid minimum wages under the protection of work choices, that's for skilled workers in my industry, I think what you are refering to was the guts of WC.

Personally, I see no problem with a bare minimum, then, if one has skills/ability/nouse to offer, then they negotiate a better deal.

After all, good workers are getting harder to find, so they can demand high wages, and that's fair enough.

But the present system has put us back decades and has simply allowed the duds to set the benchmark.

They (labor and their supporters) were warned, but they still took to IR with an axe, then gave extreme powers back to the unions and look what they have achieved in a few years, total dysfunction of the workplace. Unless of cause one is gullible enough to believe our unemployment is around 5%. yea right!

Many today don't bother with unemployment as there are too many hoops to jump through. I was unemployed for six plus months, but because I have too many assetts, albeit not in my name getting assistance was not worth the hassle. I went for six month, while establishing a new business and lost about $60,000.

I will get some of my tax back, but it can be a long time between drinks.

Put simply, labor and the unions have all but ruined workplace relations.

It's a sad world when a top union official can set out to smash an iconic company and seek to send it broke.

Power hungry grubs is all they are.

Paul, I remember my mum has had a leaking underground pipe fixed by Home Care, in QLD. It was very cheap for her, but she is on her own.

Dear Rehctub,

You are right of course, but that's too many details.

I was referring to a basic principle: once broken, anything can happen and any evil can sneak through.

Two people agree, with full and informed consent upon a deal and that deal happens to also involve an exchange of labour for money. Let us assume that they ask no-one else to certify or protect that deal and let us further assume that no-one else is injured or threatened by that deal: what right has anyone else to label them an "industry", one of them as "employer" and the other as "employee", and on those grounds to impose this-or-that condition on what they may and may-not include in their agreement?

Any IR laws, good or bad, are a violation of our inalienable natural freedom.

Yes Yuyutsu, many were happy to work Sundays, then play golf on Mondays, but they have now lost their Sunday shift and have to now work on Mondays.

They can't afford Sunday golf, or, it's just too busy and playing a round on Sundays is frustrating.

It's just plain stupid to think two adults need this big brother intrusion in their working lives. But unions say it's to protect the weak and vulnerable.

But unless they call for help, perhaps big brother should stay out of it.

Meanwhile, those who are happy with their arrangement get left alone.

Was that not the reason for unions, if one wanted protection, then joint a union.

Paul1505,
Yes, people tend to try to get as much as they can & many go completely ape$hit about it.
We'll have to deal with them just like we should deal with overpaid Public Servants. It will not happen under an ALP Government.
As for the bloke charging say $200,- for an hour's work consider travelling, working out quotes, buying parts/materials, renewal of licenses & permits & registrations etc.
As I said many times, the whole show of business in Australia is just too much out of synch.
We need to focus on getting some balance back. If your partner gets $20,-/hr I suppose it depends what her job is but I do agree that hospital workers are being exploited. Hospital administrators are ridiculously overpaid. I know, I have been there. Fact is far too many Public Servants are overpaid & provide nothing in return & those are the ones I want either gone or demoted to a realistic level. We must rid ourselves of the Peter Principal in our Public Service. We can't afford that any longer.

...As I said many times, the whole show of business in Australia is just too much out of synch.

Indi, owning a small business was enjoyable, provided you with a level of freedom, if chosen and, above all else, provided you with an opportunity of financial independence.

I am afraid those days are all but gone.

Nowadays, one can't run a SM without a lawyer and an accountant, and a business banker.

We now have to have structures that are too complex for most to follow, in fact, company laws are in the spot light as we speak, as most directors are not aware of their duties.

When one has to risk all they have worked hard for, just so some grubby land lord etc can get their hands on it, you know the balance is wrong.

My analogy of SM is, once I used to scoop my money up with a shovel, nowadays I use a landing net, and most of falls through the holes.

But, I took the advice of many and got out.

Now, I work when I want and have the ability to make a substantial living, with no staff, no landlord and no hassles.

Living the dream as they say.

It's just a shame it has to be that way.