Prime Minister John Howard has described his proposed workplace relations changes as “big” but “fair”, whilst refusing to guarantee that workers won’t be worse off.

“My guarantee is my record,” the Prime Minister said.

Addressing a press conference in Canberra with the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, Howard said: “I can look the workforce of Australia in the eye tonight and say look at what has happened under my Prime Ministership over the last nine and half years. I can tell them that this reform will further strengthen the Australian economy and I can tell them directly that the foundation of more jobs and higher wages in the future is a stronger economy. All the regulations in the world can’t generate a strong economy out of thin air. And the measure of the worth of an industrial relations system is its contribution to the economic strength of the nation. And that is why I believe this system will deliver more jobs and higher wages.” [Read more…]