Speeches & Opinions

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

ACTU Just Transition Conference – Speech by Ged Kearney, ACTU President

November 10, 2016

We meet at a crucial time for the energy sector in this nation. The closure of Hazelwood is the sign that we are in a time of great upheaval and momentous changes. It is a time that reminds us that how we adapt to these changes is critical.

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Wave Hill Walk Off 50th Anniversary – speech by Dave Oliver

August 19, 2016

I would like to start by acknowledging the traditional custodians of this land, the Gurindji People…

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Our History, Our future. Speech by ACTU Indigenous Officer Kara Keys To the ACTU Executive

August 16, 2016

Our History, Our future.Address by ACTU Indigenous Officer Kara KeysTo the ACTU Executive and Indigenous…

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Formal opening by ACTU President Ged Kearney – ACTU Executive and Indigenous Leadership Conference

August 16, 2016

The ACTU Executive on Tuesday 16 August 2016 was officially opened by ACTU President Ged Kearney.

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Much more must be done to help Indigenous Australians

June 30, 2016

We’ve heard a lot in this federal election campaign
about interns and apprentices, and about retirement
savings and the increasing cost of living.

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Opening comments by Dave Oliver at the National Press Club ‘Future of Employment’ debate

May 31, 2016

To debate the future of employment- we must examine how we are going to lead Australian workers into a prosperous future — we must build an economy that works to meet the needs and hopes of people; not trap them in an American style underclass with low wages, insecure work and a fear that their next rent or mortgage payment comes before the next pay packet.

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A not-so-taxing time for the rich

February 25, 2016

The Australian tax system is tangled up in a web of ­subsidies, exemptions and arrangements that unfairly advantage the top 10 per cent of ­income earners, do nothing to drive innovation or ­productivity growth and hold us back from investing in ­nation-building.

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Rebuilding confidence in our public institutions: the need for a national corruption watchdog

January 20, 2016

Rebuilding confidence in our public institutions: the need for a national corruption watchdog.
Opinion by ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver
First published in the Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 20 January, 2016

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Productivity v Profit: Increasing living standards for all Australians – speech by ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver

December 8, 2015

Speech by ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver
AFR Workforce and Productivity Conference

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Occupational Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation Report to ACTU Congress 2015: Speech by ACTU Assistant Secretary Michael Borowick

May 26, 2015

Occupational Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation Report to ACTU Congress 2015: Speech by ACTU Assistant Secretary Michael Borowick.

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