This week, the Liberal Australian government has started a massive public awareness campaign for its new labour law revisions, entitled: WorkChoices (read about it at the Labour Party’s website). Its about putting power into the hands of the average worker, and giving people more choices about how they will be contracted for work. It should reduce the plethora of Labour Laws complexity, and allow more freedom and flexibility into one of the world’s most regulated and expensive labour markets. But, there are many detractors.
Of course, the opposition politic parties are shreaking about it (expected). The Labour Unions are up in arms (they’re there to protect their own interests before the workers, as in every country, so also expected). And older workers, heading for retirement and fearing that these laws will undermine their comfortable work environments are also against the changes (The church is even against it, as it claims that it will destroy Sundays and the family barbeque). These types of changes are necessary, however, around the world, no matter how much the Boomers are threatened by them. Boomers the world over have by and large had a great run at the office. The most highly paid workers of all time, they’ve also been able to do so with quite a great degree of security and comfort. They don’t often see the stress they’re creating (or about to create) on the next generations coming behind them.
This is especially true where social security relies on younger workers paying for current retirement funding (e.g. USA, Germany, etc). Australia introduced superannuation in the 1980s to deal with this coming crisis. A stronger economy, growing well, will be the best retirement security the country can create. Will everyone see this? Or will the generation war escalate in Australia, too?
Australia changes its Labour Laws
