Speeches & Opinions 2008



Read speeches and opinion articles by ACTU officers and staff.



Our collection contains speeches delivered at conferences, forums, summits, rallies and events by Executive and senior ACTU staff.  It also contains op eds – previously published in mainstream media – by the ACTU President, ACTU Secretary or ACTU Assistant Secretaries.


Recent Speeches & Opinions

Sharan Burrow: Combating global warming is a shared task

December 19, 2008

We must now do everything to encourage the policy settings that ensure we drive the investment necessary to win a significant share of what will be a $US3 trillion global green market by 2020.

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Sharan Burrow: 6Oth anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights

December 10, 2008

Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it’s worth reminding ourselves of what we take for granted here in Australia, and how easily it can be ripped away.

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Sharan Burrow: New IR Laws – Good for workers and good for business

December 4, 2008

The new collective bargaining laws introduced by the Rudd Government are a positive step into the future that unions and business should embrace. Workers and their families, employers, and the economy will benefit.

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Sharan Burrow: Paid Maternity Leave – a vital economic measure in 2009 budget

November 26, 2008

As Australia plunges into tumultuous economic waters, the introduction of an affordable paid maternity leave scheme would be a minor addition to the 2009 budget and makes good economic sense.

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Jeff Lawrence: An NBN that serves the national interest

November 19, 2008

The creation of a National Broadband Network is an important investment in Australia’s future and will drive productivity and the economy.

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Jeff Lawrence: Turning the tide on workers’ rights

November 17, 2008

There can no longer be any doubt. The Government’s new industrial relations proposals are definitely not ‘WorkChoices Lite’. They will give Australian workers a comprehensive suite of new legal rights and protections.

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Sharan Burrow: Financial Review speech

October 31, 2008

For working Australians the GFC is a reminder of their own exposure to a potential downturn that could affect their livelihoods. It adds urgency to their desire for a balanced and fairer industrial relations system.

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Sharan Burrow on paid parental leave

October 8, 2008

Australian women have been waiting a long, long time for universal Paid Parental Leave. Proposals released by the Productivity Commission last week give some hope we will finally have a scheme ready to go by next May’s federal budget.

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Sharan Burrow: Living and working – shaping Australia for the years to come

October 1, 2008

This is an extraordinary time in our history with two critical and urgent challenges facing our global leaders. The demand to stabilise and reform the global financial architecture & the imperative for a rapid transition to low carbon economies.

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Sharan Burrow: Give Fair Work real power

September 24, 2008

Collective bargaining rights are critical for the wellbeing of Australian workers. Take the case of Louise who works for a community organisation, and is paid $36,000 a year and struggles to pay her rent.

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The ACTU Network

Australian Unions

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Worksite

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