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Issue No. 295 17 February 2006  
E D I T O R I A L

Please Explain
It may become the defining irony of the Howard Era that a government that rode to power on the skirt of One Nation and hung there on the bridge of the Tampa is now opening our borders to hordes of low paid guest workers.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Court's in Session
As the silks line up to challenge WorkChoices, Jeff Shaw is fighting for his own legacy - the NSW IR system.

Industrial: Whose Choices?
The Howard Government's WorkChoices legislation has been dissected by lawyers and the commentariat; now it's the turn of political economists.

Politics: Peter's Principles
Forget John Howard. The force behind WorkChoices is Peter Costello. The Prime Minister-in-waiting has devoted a lifetime to undermining the security and living standards of Australian families, Jim Marr reports.

Environment: TINA or Greener?
What does the greenhouse effect and legislation to control workers have in common, asks Neale Towart

History: Its Not Just Handshakes and Aprons
Power. They have it, we want it. Friendly societies tried to keep it for working people, writes Neale Towart

International: US Locks out Jose' Bove
The US Government has refused to allow France's most famous farmer Jose Bove into the country to address a conference

Education: No AWA - No Job
The Howard Government has given the Australian community its first view of the future by forcing new staff at Ballarat University to sign an Australian Workplace Agreement if they want a job, writes Jenny Macklin.

Culture: Jesus was a Long-Grass Man
The writings of a Middle Eastern theologian may provide guidance to those grappling with indigenous issues, writes Graham Ring

Review: Charlie the Serf
Nathan Brown takes the sledgehammer (and sickle) to Mr Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

N E W S

 Local Jockey Odds Shorten

 Conscience II - RU4 Aussie Jobs?

 Online Porkies Spark Class Action

 Captain Cook Discovers WorkChoices

 Skippy's Escape Breaks Law

 PM's Pay Day

 STOP PRESS - 262 Day Strike Set To Finish

 Strike Sticks it to Glue Boss

 Fair Pay Chief Wages War

 Millionaires Score Tax Break

 Memo Costa: Remember Your Roots

 Gate Crashing Gourmet

 Australia Mum On Basic Rights

 Filipinos Pay for Packed House

 Son of Wal-Mart Pinged $2M

 Trust Me, I�m a Unionist

 Activist's Whats On!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Hitler in Bowral
Political censorship has made its wasy to the sleepy Southern Highlands, wrties Rowan Cahill.

The Locker Room
No Laughing Matter
Phil Doyle tries to take Australian sportspeople seriously, and fails.

Parliament
The Westie Wing
Ian West is mistakenly sent an advance copy of John Winston Howard�s Little Blue Book of Australian History�

L E T T E R S
 AWB Kickbacks to Iraq
 The Black GST
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News

Millionaires Score Tax Break


Foreign business executives will not have to pay tax on investments while working in Australia, under a law proposed by the Howard government.

Under the arrangements, all foreign workers will be exempt from tax paid on their shares and bank account payments.

The Business Council of Australia campaigned for the exemption on the basis of attracting skilled workers to Australia, but the law will strongly favour those on large incomes.

This comes hot on the heels of research showing chief executives earn more in a week than most workers make in a year.

The average CEO in Australia trousers $3.4 million a year, 63 times the average for the rest of the workforce and six times more than they were earning in 1990.

The research is based on salaries at the top 50 share market-listed companies whose CEOs are current members of the Business Council of Australia.

Author of the research, John Shields from the University of Sydney, said the Business Council of Australia was saying one thing for lower paid workers, consistently arguing against substantial increases to the minimum wage, and another thing for execs.

"These fellas can't lose," Shields told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.

"It's heads I win, tails you lose - almost all the time."

Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten said the figures were hypocritical in light of the BCA's support of the Howard Government's Work Choices changes.

"The moral of the story coming from the big end of town seems to be "do as we say, not as we do'," Shorten said.


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