Speeches & Opinions 2010
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
Ross Gittins address to ACTU Whitlam Lecture
November 30, 2010
Just about everyone has it firmly fixed in their mind that the gap between rich and poor is growing – the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
Ged Kearney address to 9th Annual Workforce Conference
November 22, 2010
If you have been reading newspapers over the past few weeks, you would think that Australia was on the verge of a massive wages break-out and the pre-Christmas beer strike had been revived from the ‘70s.
Ged Kearney address to Ai Group National Forum
October 25, 2010
We may not always see eye-to-eye, but the ACTU and the Ai Group have enjoyed a constructive working relationship over the past few years.
Ged Kearney opinion piece: An independent union voice
October 13, 2010
The traditional ties with Labor will remain – for some unions more closely than others – but unions will work with elected representatives who show a genuine commitment to enhancing workers’ rights – and of taking a long-term view to improving our members’ lives.
Ged Kearney address to Industrial Relations Society of Victoria Annual Convention
October 8, 2010
One of the things I’d like to talk to you about is how the ACTU and our unions will function in this new political environment and that may well include working with Adam and his colleagues in the Greens – along with the independents – where necessary.
Ged Kearney address to National Press Club: A vision for the Australian union movement
October 6, 2010
Regardless of the novelty of the current political environment the long term task of the union movement and my role as part of its leadership is to help build our membership, improve our capacity to campaign, and broaden our agenda.
Ged Kearney: WA is not an island
September 11, 2010
Different as WA is, the state is not an island, argues ACTU President Ged Kearney. To be part of an integrated national economy, Western Australia must also be part of an integrated national IR system.
Ged Kearney: Collaborative Industrial Relations: Australia’s Future or Another Pipe Dream
August 27, 2010
I do believe in the power of collaboration as a mechanism for positive change. At the end of the election – whoever forms Government – we now have a consensus on IR that provides a foundation for collaboration in workplace policy going forward.
Ged Kearney: Don’t buy Abbott’s conversion on WorkChoices
August 10, 2010
It is absolutely appalling that so far into the election campaign, Abbott is refusing to release an industrial relations policy or honestly tell the public what he has planned.
Ged Kearney: launch of 2010 Australian Work and Life Index
August 3, 2010
The Australian Work and Life Index is a valuable contribution to national debate about what is one of the most pressing issues confronting all workers: how to balance work with family and leisure.
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