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: Senators should stand tall on IR
September 1, 2008
With the balance of power resting with the Greens, Family First Senator Steve Fielding and SA independent Senator Nick Xenophon, there are no guarantees that election promises can be delivered.
Jeff Lawrence: Rights hammered
August 14, 2008
Imagine being dragged into a secret interview room, placed under interrogation for several hours and then not being allowed to tell anyone about it. Not your family, your best mate, or — through the news media— the Australian community.
Sharan Burrow speech: Exploring Key Issues Affecting Women in the Workplace
July 24, 2008
Make no mistake – women workers in particular were badly hurt by WorkChoices. For the first time in decades, the pay equity gap grew wider as more and more women were forced onto individual contracts.
Sharan Burrow: Disability and the Unions
July 21, 2008
In our policy, we commit to implementing a range of measures designed to increase our efforts to improve job opportunities, and wages and conditions for people with disabilities.
Sharan Burrow: Shared Equity – Its Role in Meeting the Housing Affordability Challenge
July 2, 2008
Australia today faces a serious housing affordability problem. It is not going to go away any time soon. Our home ownership rate is likely to decline significantly unless some creative affordability solutions can be found.
Jeff Lawrence: Negotiating Fairest Way
June 6, 2008
Any Tasmanian who’s been sacked for no reason or forced to cop a pay cut under WorkChoices understands the importance of Labor’s planned industrial relations reforms.
Jeff Lawrence: Boosting Labour Supply
March 28, 2008
An ageing Australian population, a burgeoning China, and a carbon-constrained world combine to put the squeeze on Australia’s economic capacity over the next decade or two.
Jeff Lawrence: Building a fairer Australia – the role of unions and workers’ rights
March 12, 2008
I took office on 21 August. Since then, there has been the fast pace of the election campaign and the early months of the Rudd Labor Government.
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