ID :
79655
Sun, 09/13/2009 - 00:01
Auther :

Turnbull yet to decide on WorkChoices

The coalition is yet to decide whether it will re-introduce individual workplace contracts if it regains government, Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says.
But federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has accused the opposition leader of being a "Work
Choices addict" whose goal is to restore the old industrial relations regime and
individual worker contracts.
The Rudd government's Fair Work Australia replaced the Howard government's Work
Choices regime in July.
Mr Turnbull says the new regime is inflexible for employers and a constraint on
productivity growth.
"We are going to review the performance of Labor's changes, which have only recently
become effective," he told journalists in Sydney on Saturday.
"Labor claim they will not reduce flexibility in the workplace.
"We believe they will. But we will review the performance of those changes and then
we will, in the light of that, make whatever policy recommendations we think are
appropriate."
But Mr Swan said Mr Turnbull's labelling of Labor's industrial laws as "inflexible"
showed the opposition leader's goal was a return to workplace contracts.
"Malcolm Turnbull has shown today he has been a Work Choices addict," Mr Swan told
reporters in Brisbane.
"Malcolm Turnbull wants to talk about anything other than his opposition to economic
stimulus which has kept Australia out of recession.
"They (the opposition) opposed the implementation of stimulus. They opposed bank
guarantees.
"Malcolm Turnbull wants to camouflage his opposition to economic stimulus with
everything else other than what we need to do to support Australians through this
economic recession."


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