Reports today that the Government is unhappy with the workplace deal struck between the ABC and its staff, which includes family friendly provisions such as domestic violence leave and paid parental leave, demonstrates how ideologically driven they are. 

Despite ABC management and employees coming to an agreement, the Government is unhappy with the EBA because it was struck outside the bounds of the Government’s unfair Commonwealth bargaining policy.

The Government is trying to use its public sector bargaining policy to blackmail and attack the rights of public sector workers. This is part of their broader attack on workplace rights and conditions.  

Thousands of public sector workers have already lost important workplace rights and many thousands more are facing cuts to vital conditions such as domestic violence leave and other family friendly provisions.

Although Labor welcomes the Government’s acknowledgement today of the scourge that is domestic and family violence, we call on the Turnbull Liberal Government to show some leadership and support paid domestic and family violence leave.

They could start by dropping their ideological attack on the public service, which has seen enforceable rights stripped away from workers.

Labor does not believe in Mr Turnbull’s agenda to cut jobs and strip rights and believes there is an alternative. Labor believes in an approach to enterprise bargaining that actually improves the capability of staff and provides fairness in the workplace, work-life balance and secure, meaningful jobs. An approach that does not force agencies to strip rights and conditions.

You can tell a lot about a government by how it treats its workers – Malcolm Turnbull must be judged by what he does for workers, and how he treats his own workforce, not what he says.