JULIA Gillard said the Labor Party would “definitely be ripping up” the Howard Government’s industrial relations laws, but would not announce its own plans for Australian workers for a few months.
The Tarneit MP and Labor’s new industrial relations spokeswoman said the party would consult with a range of groups, including unions and employer organisations, before releasing replacement policies.
“This is something that can’t be done overnight,” she said.
“But the one thing that is certain is that existing laws will be repealed and replaced with a system that restores fairness and balance to our workplaces.”
Ms Gillard, who worked as a industrial relations lawyer for eight years, said the policies would be revealed well before the federal election, expected this October or November.
She said industrial relations laws would be a “vote changer” and would feature prominently in the Labor campaign.
“People approach me every day of the week talking about their problems in their workplaces as a result of these laws, and many can’t complain publicly because they are still in that job.”
Ms Gillard said in general, Labor would expand the minimum standards for workers beyond the Howard Government’s five conditions of minimum wage, annual leave, sick leave, parental leave and an average 38-hour week.
It would also give more power to the Industrial Relations Commission in employment disputes.
The party’s policy co-ordinator, Lindsay Tanner, has recently announced Labor is considering a plan to allow parents two years of unpaid leave after the birth of a child, rather than the existing one year, and give returning mothers an option for part-time work.
Since WorkChoices legislation was passed last March, Australia’s unemployment rate has dropped to 4.6 per cent, a 30-year-low.
But Ms Gillard said that was due to a growing economy, in large part fuelled by the country’s resources boom, rather than the new laws.
“There is no evidence to show that this legislation has helped the country in any way,” she said.
“These are deeply unpopular and unproductive laws, no matter how you look at them.”
Ms Gillard also said she was “amused” by the recent attention paid to her remarks about the difficulty of combining motherhood with politics, and her own choice not to have children.
