Speeches & Opinions 2013



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

Ged Kearney: Why do we stand for sweatshop labour?

May 1, 2013

The Rana factory disaster in Bangladesh wasn’t the first of its kind – and it won’t be the last while workers in the developing world are denied basic rights, writes ACTU President Ged Kearney

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Ged Kearney address to the Victorian ALP State Conference, 21 April 2013

April 21, 2013

In her Plenary Address to the Victorian ALP State Conference on 21 April 2013, ACTU President Ged Kearney said that insecure work was an issue around which the industrial and political wings of the labour movement could unite and campaign together.

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Ged Kearney address to the 8th Asian Regional Congress of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association

April 11, 2013

ACTU President, Ged Kearney addressed the 8th Asian Regional Congress of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 11 April 2013 on the the Industrial Relations Reform Agenda.

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Ged Kearney address to National Community Summit, 13 March 2013, Canberra

March 13, 2013

In her opening address to the National Community Summit: Creating Secure Jobs and a Better Society in Canberra, on 13 March, ACTU President Ged Kearney explored reasons for the growth of insecure work and proposed a new social compact for Australia.

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Ged Kearney speech at the launch of the Fair Work Ombudsman Report on Internships, Work Experience and Unpaid Work , 28 February 2013

February 28, 2013

ACTU President Ged Kearney spoken on “Unpaid Work Experience: A Union Perspective” at the launch of launch of the Fair Work Ombudsman Report on Internships, Work Experience and Unpaid Work in Melbourne on 28 February 2013.

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Dave Oliver address to the National Press Club, 6 February 2013

February 6, 2013

In a major address to the National Press Club in Canberra, ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver outlined the union movement’s agenda for 2013, including the campaign for secure jobs and the federal election.

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