The Federal Government is a master of spin doctoring. Much has been said about the Federal Government’s proposed WorkChoices package, and there’s been a good amount of speculation about Prime Minister John Howard’s motives in pushing the reform through – despite significant opposition from an Australian public
by Craig Donaldson
The Federal Government is a master of spin doctoring. Much has been said about the Federal Government’s proposed WorkChoices package, and there’s been a good amount of speculation about Prime Minister John Howard’s motives in pushing the reform through – despite significant opposition from the Australian public. (Yes, the very same Australian public voted the Coalition in and gave it the mandate to implement the reform, says Prime Minister Howard.) Supporting big business is the traditional modus operandi of the Liberal party, and Prime Minister Howard is very happy to ride on the coat tails of US President George Bush on the road to free trade and reform. But at what cost?
Prime Minister Howard says the workplace relations reforms are needed to continue economic prosperity, improve employment and boost wages. There is a stark lack of evidence that the reforms will actually achieve this, and economists also have called the reforms into question.
Cabinet commissioned Treasury to provide the Government with specific advice on the economic justification for proceeding with WorkChoices. Treasury conducted its modelling in May this year in order to give the reforms a much needed and timely shot in the arm prior to their release. But the Government has refused to release the advice.
When questioned by a Senate estimates committee about its economic modelling, the Treasury confirmed it had reached conclusions about likely economic ramifications from the reforms. But it said it was “not at liberty” to reveal this. Federal Treasurer Peter Costello effectively swept the advice under the carpet and refused to comment on the findings, despite issuing an earlier “guarantee” that WorkChoices will strengthen the economy by producing more jobs and higher wages. “Advice from Treasury to Cabinet remains confidential,”said the Treasury. So, it would appear no news is good news.
Just as Prime Minister John Howard is in way over his head with the “war on terror”, and didn’t know what he was getting Australia into by jumping on the US bandwagon (that’s another story), the long-term social consequences of the Federal Government’s workplace reforms could well prove unfortunate for the Lucky Country. The divide between the haves and the have nots in the US is massive – a situation which could well be replicated in Australia down the track if the Prime Minister has his way.
