Fed: Local councils are just the beginning for IR laws:Gillard

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2007
Fed: Local councils are just the beginning for IR laws:Gillard

By Vincent Morello

SYDNEY, April 12 AAP - Hospitals, aged care facilities and other public institutions
may be compelled to bring their employees under the Work Choices laws or have their federal
funding withdrawn, the federal opposition says.

Opposition industrial relations spokeswoman Julia Gillard expects the government to
ambush public institutions if Prime Minister John Howard wins a fifth term later this
year.

Ms Gillard went on the attack following media reports today that the Howard government
is backing local councils to bring their employees under federal industrial relations
laws.

She said Mr Howard did not give voters any indication at the 2004 election that the
government would be introducing the workplace laws and only did so after it gained control
of the Senate.

"They didn't tell you the truth about what they planned before the last election, I
don't think they'll tell you the truth about their full plans after the next election,"

Ms Gillard told reporters in Sydney.

"But I anticipate it will include things like tying federal government funding to hospitals,
to aged-care institutions and the like - to making it compulsory to offer Australian Workplace
Agreements (AWA)."

If elected, Labor would abolish the laws and allow workers on AWA's to decide if they
want to enter into collective bargaining agreements.

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KEYWORD: COUNCILS GILLARD

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