Gillard for PM?

[Gozu]

Lets not forget the union's have given us the 8 hour working day, great wages, rights for employees and equality for women.

[fish]

Congratulations Julia Gillard, our first ever female Prime Minister.

Sworn in today by our first ever (I believe) female Governor General!

[sherminator]

Like the country needs Unions running it.

Wake up Booney - that's always been the case with Labor. I noticed that Gillard's speech carefully crafted in a lot of heed to the unions, to workers, and the old scare campaign of Work Choices is being rolled out again. Gillard wants the miner's to cut their mining ads in a show of good faith. I bet that Labor dont cut any pre-election ads that refer to work choices.

Why should they? Abbott has put workchoices, whatever name he wants to call it, firmly back on the agenda.

It's interesting that Labor got back in to power on the back of the public's objection to WorkChoices thanks to the ACTU's 'Your Rights at Work' campaign. Rudd & Gillard made the promise that they would 'tear up and bury' WorkChoices and replace it with the FairWork Act. To me that suggested they would return our IR system back to the same as before WorkChoices. In reality, the FairWork Act is just a scaled down version of WorkChoices with a more voter friendly name. The only major change was getting rid of AWA's (which were around before WorkChoices anyway). There are a number of initiatives from WorkChoices that still remain in the FairWork Act just with different names! So I don't think Industrial Relations will play as much of a role as it did at the previous election. I would imagine it would be one issue Abbott would tread carefully around. It would be good though to get Costello back as his right hand man! The Abbott & Costello act would be worth a chuckle!

[White Line Fever]

Lets not forget the union's have given us the 8 hour working day, great wages, rights for employees and equality for women.

Let's not forget 4 weeks annual leave, 38 hour week, 36 hour week, continual pay rises, protection and security of your job.

[am Bays]

OK now she's done the job on Kevin, can she handle the big challenge - picking the PMs XI!!! I'm tipping Andrew McDonald as the captain next year....

[Squawk]

OK now she's done the job on Kevin, can she handle the big challenge - picking the PMs XI!!! I'm tipping Andrew McDonald as the captain next year....

At least a few South Aussies might get selected too.

FWIW I'm not convinced that picking the PM's XI was the most natural thing for Rudd either. And while Howard lacked any physical prowess as a bowler (who can ever forget that bowling vision of him ) he did and does love the game.

[White Line Fever]

OK now she's done the job on Kevin, can she handle the big challenge - picking the PMs XI!!! I'm tipping Andrew McDonald as the captain next year....

At least a few South Aussies might get selected too.

FWIW I'm not convinced that picking the PM's XI was the most natural thing for Rudd either. And while Howard lacked any physical prowess as a bowler (who can ever forget that bowling vision of him ) he did and does love the game.

Isn't Howard in the running for ICC Presidency?

[wycbloods]

Like the country needs Unions running it.

Wake up Booney - that's always been the case with Labor. I noticed that Gillard's speech carefully crafted in a lot of heed to the unions, to workers, and the old scare campaign of Work Choices is being rolled out again. Gillard wants the miner's to cut their mining ads in a show of good faith. I bet that Labor dont cut any pre-election ads that refer to work choices.

Why should they? Abbott has put workchoices, whatever name he wants to call it, firmly back on the agenda.

It's interesting that Labor got back in to power on the back of the public's objection to WorkChoices thanks to the ACTU's 'Your Rights at Work' campaign. Rudd & Gillard made the promise that they would 'tear up and bury' WorkChoices and replace it with the FairWork Act. To me that suggested they would return our IR system back to the same as before WorkChoices. In reality, the FairWork Act is just a scaled down version of WorkChoices with a more voter friendly name. The only major change was getting rid of AWA's (which were around before WorkChoices anyway). There are a number of initiatives from WorkChoices that still remain in the FairWork Act just with different names! So I don't think Industrial Relations will play as much of a role as it did at the previous election. I would imagine it would be one issue Abbott would tread carefully around. It would be good though to get Costello back as his right hand man! The Abbott & Costello act would be worth a chuckle!

As someone who works with the Fair Work Act on a daily basis i can guarantee you it is vastly different to Workchoices. I agree it hasn't gone far enough back the other way but i think it has met most of the public's expectations that was built up through the YR@W campaign.

The ABCC is the most significant piece of WorkChoices legislation that has not been abolished. It is a disgusting piece of legislation and something this government needs to change NOW!

[Squawk]

Like the country needs Unions running it.

Wake up Booney - that's always been the case with Labor. I noticed that Gillard's speech carefully crafted in a lot of heed to the unions, to workers, and the old scare campaign of Work Choices is being rolled out again. Gillard wants the miner's to cut their mining ads in a show of good faith.I bet that Labor dont cut any pre-election ads that refer to work choices.

Why should they? Abbott has put workchoices, whatever name he wants to call it, firmly back on the agenda.

Genuine question wyc (and others).
The ACTU and co have had great electoral success in branding workchoices (the term) as unAustralian and anti-worker. That term applied to a legislative product, which has since been amended. The way things look now, the ACTU will forever leverage off their electoral success brand any Liberal IR policy as a variation of workchoices, no matter how close, or how distant, or even if it bears any resemblance whatsoever, to the original product. So if the Coalition had to "cement" a commitment to not bring back workchoices to demonstrate that it is dead, what do you think it would take to convince the ACTU and others that it is genuinely dead as the Coalition asserts that it is?

The only thing I can think of is some sort of GST-like legislation. The GST can only be varied with 100% approval of states and territories. If they passed say 50 minimum standards and said they cant be varied without such an approval, would that bury the workchoices fervour? Even then, I doubt it would as when inevitably no 51 comes around for debate, if it wasn't amended into such a piece of legislation the workchoices taunts would start again.

Would like to hear your perspective(s).

[Media Park]

Well.

One sure thing to come out of this...

I will be voting Liberal... Bring on TANK ABBOTT

[Gozu]

If you're going to vote for Abbott over Gillard I think it's fair to say you were probably voting for Abbott anyway. I think the public will do otherwise, they just don't put lunatics in the big chair (which is why Abbott's polls are terrible).

Squawk, I agree that the Labor Party/union's will now always run a big scare campaign on what the Libs might potentially do in government in respect to IR but you've only got one person to blame for that, John Howard. I knew how extreme Howard was deep down and said at the time when the Libs got control of the Senate that it would be enough rope for Howard to hang himself. He couldn't help himself. You might disagree but John Howard was one of the worst things to ever happen to the Liberal Party.

[Strawb]

If you're going to vote for Abbott over Gillard I think it's fair to say you were probably voting for Abbott anyway. I think the public will do otherwise, they just don't put lunatics in the big chair (which is why Abbott's polls are terrible).

Squawk, I agree that the Labor Party/union's will now always run a big scare campaign on what the Libs might potentially do in government in respect to IR but you've only got one person to blame for that, John Howard. I knew how extreme Howard was deep down and said at the time when the Libs got control of the Senate that it would be enough rope for Howard to hang himself. He couldn't help himself. You might disagree but John Howard was one of the worst things to ever happen to the Liberal Party.

Howard did more back flips and the biggest back flip of all remember he promised no GST now what do we have

[Leaping Lindner]

They weren't back flips. They were core and non-core promises.

[Sojourner]

Lets not forget the union's have given us the 8 hour working day, great wages, rights for employees and equality for women.

What I would like to know is why they stopped at the 38hr week? Given that in France and other places around the world the working week is being reduced to 35 hrs, I do feel its time once again for the unions to stand up on the same issue and get a better deal for all workers for the same wages as they once did so well!

[Squawk]

Lets not forget the union's have given us the 8 hour working day, great wages, rights for employees and equality for women.

What I would like to know is why they stopped at the 38hr week?

They didn't complain when the Govt lifted the retirement age recently.

Who has the luxury of a 38hr week these days, anyway?

[White Line Fever]

Lets not forget the union's have given us the 8 hour working day, great wages, rights for employees and equality for women.

What I would like to know is why they stopped at the 38hr week?

They didn't complain when the Govt lifted the retirement age recently.

Who has the luxury of a 38hr week these days, anyway?

i get 38hour week, but work 60 a week anyway (gives me more time to post on here), and bank them, so effectively get 6 weeks AL!

[Old Dog New Tricks]

Apart from having a head like a robber's dog she couldn't lead a rat up a drain pipe.

[Interceptor]

You can't make this stuff up...

Kevin Rudd's nephew to challenge Julia Gillard in her seat of Lalor:

In an ironic twist to this week's political deposing of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a close relative representing the Revolutionary Socialist Party has announced he will challenge new PM Julia Gillard in her Victorian seat of Lalor.

No hope of course.

[Old Dog New Tricks]

Lets not forget she hasn't been voted in but sits in the chair because of some else's' downfall - which she orchestrated.

[Q.]

Lets not forget she hasn't been voted in but sits in the chair because of some else's' downfall - which she orchestrated.

You might want to check up on that one.