General ASU News

The Abbott Government has begun its attack on ordinary workers by drafting laws that cut taxes for big mining companies but scrap programs, including the Low Income Superannuation Contribution, that benefit low and middle-income workers. The draft of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2013 released…

The Abbott Government's Commission of Audit is nothing but a process to outsource public policy to big business and pave the way for cuts to public services, the ACTU said yesterday. ACTU President Ged Kearney said that this had already happened in Queensland where the Newman Government used the same…

A new Grattan Institute report showing that higher-income earners are the main winners out of housing and tax policy should lead to changes in the system the ACTU said yesterday. ACTU assistant secretary Tim Lyons said that both renting and buying a first home were becoming more difficult for workers.…

Raising the GST or applying it to fresh food, health and education costs would unfairly hit working people and the government should instead remove tax breaks for high-income earners and crack down on tax evasion, the ACTU said today. At a time the new Abbott Government is dismantling the mining…

The Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 requires that the financial affairs of unions are checked and audited every 12 months to make sure union funds are administered properly and to detect any shortcomings. Unions are also required to prepare an operating report. The National Executive and the Branches of…

Now that the federal election has been announced, you have only until 8pm on 12 August to ensure you are enrolled to vote. Why do you need to vote? Because your vote really does count, especially at this election. With 1.4 million people not enrolled according to the Australian Electoral…

The ACTU is backing a call by Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten for a pre-election debate between the major parties on industrial relations policy. Minister Shorten today called on his Coalition counterpart Eric Abetz to come out of hiding and commit to a debate on workplace policy. "Working people absolutely…

Australians face a stark choice at this election between a government that will stand up for work rights and an opposition which has promised to wind back protections at work and introduce individual contracts. ACTU President Ged Kearney said working people would be looking for parties and candidates to demonstrate…

A national productivity agenda must include better training for Australia's corporate executives in identifying and implementing measures to genuinely boost productivity, the ACTU said today. With rising company profits over the past decade many employers have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to genuine commitment to lifting…

Recently the Australian Human Rights Commission released a new resource to assist women with entering male-dominated industries. The ASU has many members in this situation, so we participated in the launch. We encourage our interested members to have a look at the new Toolkit. ASU Assistant National Secretary Greg McLean…