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Independent of Facts
John Howard's mastery of the big lie was evident again this week.
Interview: The Month Of Living Dangerously
When the mobs took over the streets of Dili it was the people of East Timor that bore the brunt. Elisabeth Lino de Araujo from Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was there to witness what happened.
Unions: Staying Mum
Penrith mums, Linda Everingham and Jo Jacobson, are at the heart of a grassroots campaign to boot Jackie Kelly, out of federal parliament. Jim Marr caught up with one half of the sister act.
Economics: Precious Metals
There's a lot of spin around AWAs in the mining industry, but Tony Maher argues all that glitters is not gold.
Industrial: The Cold 100
The Iemma Government has come up with 100 reasons why WorkChoices is a dud, with 100 examples of ripped off workers
History: The Vinegar Hill Mob
This month's Blacktown Rally was not the first time workers had stood up for their rights in the region, writes Andrew Moore.
Legal: Free Agents
Is an independent contractor a small businessperson or a worker? The answer depends upon whether the contractor is genuinely ‘independent’ or not, writes Even Jones.
Politics: Under The Influence
Bob Gould thinks Sonny Bill Williams is a hunk; he reveals all in a left wing view of The Bulletin’s 100 most influential Australians, questioning the relevance of some, and adding a few of his own.
International: How Swede It Was
Geoff Dow pays tribute to the passing of Rudolf Meidner, one of the architects of the Swedish model of capitalism.
Review: Keating's Men Slam Dance on Howard
These punk rockers are out to KO WorkChoices. Nathan Brown joins the fray.
 Howard Chews Up Lollipop Men
Ridout: WorkChoices “Revolutionary”
Voters: WorkChoices Rotten
Terror: WorkChoices Rule
Bussies Go Gangbusters
Strikers Drive Deal
Australia Faces Jobs Meltdown
Fat Lady Sings at Opera House
PM's Pick Burns Fire Fighters
Spooks Tail Early Risers
Telstra Boss Gets Crossed Line
Prof: Fair Pay Should Be Lower
TNT Snub is Dynamite
Activist's What's On!
The Soapbox
Work Choice: US Military Style
John Howard has learnt a few lessons on workers rights from his Texan buddy, writes Rowan Cahill. Politics
Westie Wing
As Pru Goward slams into the glass ceiling of the NSW Liberal Party, Ian West considers how women are faring under the Howard-Costello Government. The Locker Room
A World Away
Phil Doyle is pleased that a display of subtle beauty and athletic grace has been overtaken by some good old-fashioned mindless violence
Balancing Act
Swimming Uphill
Help is at Hand
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News
Ridout: WorkChoices “Revolutionary”
The federal government has gone over the top with its “revolutionary” workplace revamp, according to Australia's largest employer organisation.
AiG chief Heather Ridout said her organisation never supported the junking of unfair dismissal rights and Australians had ended up with harsher laws than employers wanted.
"The parliamentary system failed us and we got tougher laws than we might have," Ridout told a Women, Management and Employment Relations Conference in Sydney.
Ridout's comments broke ranks with other peak business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the rich man's, Business Council of Australia, made up of chief executives from 200 leading companies.
Both groups have aggressively supported WorkChoices and tried to shout down any opposition.
Ridout said "not ungenerous" provisions for maternity and carers leave were good elements of the new regime but she took issue with key arguments run by the Prime Minister and his big business constituents.
"Workchoices is not evolutionary, it is a revolutionary change," she insisted.
Ridout also challenged the central rationale for WorkChoices, the contention that it would boost labour productivity.
She said Australian productivity was flat and WorkChoices was not a "silver bullet".
Ridout echoed the trade union call for an increased focus on training and skills.
She distanced her organisation from government moves to greenlight unfair sackings.
Ridout told delegates her organisation, which represents thousands of employers, had not supported the abolition of unfair dismissal rights for employers with less than 100 staff, nor for those with fewer than 20 as had been flagged originally.
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Issue 317 contents
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