Abbott says no worker will be worse off

The federal coalition is promising no workers will be worse off under its new
industrial relations policy but can't guarantee an absolute hands-off approach to
penalty rates.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott insists the coalition's yet-to-be-announced workplace
policy won't be a re-run of Work Choices, trying to deflect a mounting scare
campaign by the Rudd government and the union movement.
"There will always be a strong, enforced no-disadvantage test and no one can be
moved from their existing arrangements to new arrangements unless they agree to do
so," Mr Abbott told Fairfax Radio Network.
Asked if he could guarantee no worker would be worse off, Mr Abbott said: "Yep,
absolutely".
The opposition has pledged it won't legislate to remove penalty rates if it wins
government.
But workplace relations spokesman Eric Abetz was giving no guarantees when asked
whether penalty rates may be "touched" in some other way under the coalition policy.
"Let's wait and see what the policy will be," he told Sky News.
"We won't be legislating to abolish penalty rates as has been suggested."
Mr Abbott believes it won't be coalition policy that will be the problem come the
next election.
"The industrial laws that are going to be an issue at the next election are Mr
Rudd's changes ... which are going to cost some workers wages and mean that many
businesses have a big increase in their costs," he told reporters.
Labor is escalating its attacks against Mr Abbott as a string of opinion polls
suggest he is gaining traction among voters.
Union boss Paul Howes was the latest figure from the Labor side of politics to
malign Mr Abbott on Wednesday, comparing him to former opposition leader Mark
Latham, now a figure of derision among the left.
Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard is accusing Mr Abbott of playing "word
games" with his new industrial relations policy.
"Tony Abbott is playing word games, he thinks that if it doesn't use the title Work
Choices then somehow everybody will be fooled about the contents," she told Fairfax
Radio Network on Wednesday.
"Work Choices had two hated elements, two things that Australians really detested in
it.
"Number one: Australian Workplace Agreements that could strip the safety net away...
and the other most hated element was that workers did not have unfair dismissal
rights.
"So you could be a good worker, a great worker, you've been there five, ten, 15
years and any day you could be dismissed and have absolutely no say, no remedy."
"Mr Abbott and his spokesperson, Senator Abetz, have both verified those things are
back."