An open letter to the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon Kevin Rudd MP.

14 March 2009

Dear Prime Minister

Re: Fair Work Bill

Last week I wrote to you asking you about your use of the word ‘shit’ on television, then there were questions about our children’s future, before that the Emissions Trading Scheme, the week before that I asked about your ‘Sorry’ speech, the previous week to that was a couple of questions about the Summit and the week before that I asked if you thought you have done a good job since taking over the role from your predecessor.  You have not done me the courtesy of replying to any of my emails, which is disappointing.

I also sent you an earlier email (on the 27th January) and I have also written to the Treasurer and the Minister for Health.  They too, have not done me the courtesy of a response.

Does the government ever respond to the people they purport to represent?

With the Labor Party’s Fair Work Bill before the Senate, the warnings from employers and employer associations are becoming more strident.  In general the headlines indicate a deep concern that the new legislation is a business, and therefore jobs, killer.

These are some excerpts of news reports we members of the public see with increasing regularity.

“The mining industry says the introduction of the Fair Work Bill could mean more job cuts”

“They’ve done deals clearly with the trade union movement and this legislation goes way beyond what they were given a mandate for from the Australian people”

“Retail companies employing hundreds of thousands of workers have demanded the Rudd Government delay its overhaul of award conditions by 12 months, warning that the revamp would force up costs and cost jobs”

“No other economy in the world is introducing new labour laws in the context of the global financial crisis, and this government policy is fraught with danger to the retail sector”

“Mr Della, who employs six staff, likens the impact of the weekend and after-7pm loading pay in Ms Gillard's fair work bill to another GST”

“People aren't eating out as much -- it's definitely better being a worker now than it is a small-business owner”

“at Stella Pizza, Rossi Fortuna wonders whether it might be better to sell his place and work for someone else”

I would have thought that now is not the time to be destroying jobs.  According to these reports though that is exactly what many employers are afraid will happen if the new bill is passed.

Mr Prime Minister;

1/  With all this media reporting of the likely outcome of the government’s Fair Work Bill why are you still proceeding with it?

2/  Do you think the reports are right or wrong?

3/  Will you guarantee that not one worker will lose his/her job or be detrimentally affected in any way by this new bill?

4/  What will you say to the Australian people if this bill passes and many more jobs are lost as a result?

5/  Do you believe the new industrial legislation will create jobs as Workchoices did in 2006?

I am a concerned Australian citizen.  There are exactly 94 weeks until the end of 2010 by which time we should have had an election to determine who the Prime Minister of Australia will be for the next three years.

I plan on writing a letter each week.  I look forward to seeing your responses.  I trust that you will respond to my earlier emails and this one before too long.

Regards

(signed)

Owner

Political Animal Australia

www.polanimal.com

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 14 March 2009  6.32 am

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