Monday, 21 March 2016

Turnbull will go to a DD election on "industrial relations" - ie the ABCC

What a charade.......

The truth is Turnbull is shitting himself that his glorious new shiny PM-ship has been exposed as a wet fish slap, with the polls in the last month or so going decidedly against him. He wants to get the election over before they keep going south.

But we're all supposed to believe him of course that this is for the country, and he's doing his duty as leader to move the country forward, bla. Bullshit.

Apparently standing in the way of our economic growth are the senate (that pesky upper house of review that hardly ever agrees with the gov) and the construction workers (those pesky evil union boss CFMEU type people who dare to want a safe work place). You see Turnbull has still not managed to find his balls, and once again policy from the far right gov in exile (ie Team Abbott) has rolled him. Spineless wet fish slap Turnbull has once again been bullied by the backbenchers. Bring back the ABCC.

"The restoration of the ABCC [Australian Building and Construction Commission] is a critical economic reform. The time for playing games is over."  

And so what is this magic saviour of the economy the ABCC, that will evidently save us all from economic ruin? It's called the Australian Building and Construction Commission, and it's anything but Australian. Abolished under Labor, it sets apart construction workers and treats them differently than any other workers in Australia. Workers can be called into the commission and have no right of silence. They can be interrogated about union meetings and industrial action over safety concerns, and if they don't answer they face 6 months jail. Hardly an economic saviour, it's more a draconian system that doesn't belong in a democracy. Yes this is what Turnbull is going to an election over. Would you like to see your mate construction worker treated like this? 



Remember, about one every three weeks dies on a construction site in Australia. They are literally concerned for their lives.

The ABCC has been bought into play before, as with the now famous case of Ark Tribe who stood up for his mates over safety concerns and refused to say anything to the ABCC. Threatened with jail and fines and stood by by the CFMEU, he was found not guilty. 




Think about what you vote for this election. If they roll the construction workers, what industry will they decide next is to be the saviour of the economy and deserves special treatment? This is an attack on the foundations of our democracy. 

What's more it's nothing but the Team Abbott narrative. Turnbull couldn't think of one on his own without his balls you know. The political witch hunt royal commission into evil union bosses which turned up fuck all, and now the "we must bring back the ABCC to control evil union bosses", bla.  This whole thing has Abbott written all over it.

The senate has already blocked this legislation, and I can't see them passing it through again. Looking like the stage is even more set now. But oh so predictable and boring.... "evil union bosses, union bosses, union bosses........" 
The irony is that this is very much an Abbott strategy, based on instilling fear in voters about Labor's links to union thugs and Shorten's changes to negative gearing. Labor will cast it as a replay of John Howard's attempt to impose WorkChoices through a compliant Senate. 

One problem is that workplace relations was not even mentioned when Turnbull announced his intention to challenge Abbott six months ago and promised a different style of economic leadership. Canberra Times  

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