Labor launches television ad against changes to workplace laws

A campaign against the Federal Government’s proposed workplace laws has ramped up, with Labor launching a television attack and unions appealing to Pauline Hanson for help.

Unions are making a high-profile appeal to Queensland crossbencher Pauline Hanson to block proposed workplace laws, as industrial relations becomes the latest battleground for the faux-Federal election campaign.

It follows a Sunday Mail report that Senator Hanson was appealing to the unions to pressure Labor against preferencing her last at the next election.

As Labor launched a prime-time television campaign last night accusing the Morrison Government of allowing bosses to slash wages, Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter levelled the same allegations at the Opposition’s new policies.

Labor has launched a television ad attacking the Federal Government’s proposed changes to workplace laws. Supplied: NCA NewsWire

The Electrical Trade Union is running a campaign urging Senator Hanson to stop the government’s industrial relations bill, with advertising images of the fiery Queenslander in high-vis gear holding a stop sign.

Senator Hanson has previously shot down a proposed union-busting bill from the Coalition.

Labor is seeking to reframe the election to be about insecure work and wages, instead of the pandemic.

The Morrison Government is seeking to pass a raft of workplace law changes, with the most contentious a two-year pause for the “better off over all” test for new enterprise bargaining agreements for businesses that can prove they have been badly impacted by the pandemic.

It will require support from the crossbench to be passed, with Senator Hanson’s One Nation party holding two of the key votes.

Labor’s new advertisement claims this will allow employers to “slash your wages and conditions”, but the government says there are protections including the Fair Work Commission having to rule any loss of conditions was in the public interest.

Meanwhile, Labor’s plan to push for casual and gig economy workers to receive entitlements like sick, annual and long service leave has come under fire.

Mr Porter has claimed it would cost business $20 billion to fund this, or see casual workers lose their 25 per cent pay loading.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke has said the government “made up” the figure had only promised to consult with unions and state governments about the entitlements.