Dr Craig Emerson, Labor's industrial relations spokesman, has dramatically undercut his own Leader's attempts to pretend that Labor's proposed industrial relations changes are not as threatening as in reality they are.
Dr Emerson has confirmed (Australian Financial Review, 22 July) that a future Labor government would remove the current ceiling in the Workplace Relations Act on the number of "allowable matters" that can be included in federal awards.
Such a change, by itself, would represent major re-regulation of Australia's industrial relations system.
Once the current limit of 20 on matters which can be included in awards were removed it would be open to unions to seek the inclusion of all manner of issues in federal awards. This means that awards would re-emerge as the principal vehicle for governing employer-employee relations. This was one of the worst features of the old centralised wage fixation system.
A return to detailed prescriptive awards would dramatically reduce the role of workplace bargaining. It would represent the most anti-business agenda for a generation.
While Labor's industrial relations spokesman was confirming Labor's true position his Leader, Mr Latham, was claiming that his party supported flexibility in industrial relations.
This is another example of confused Labor thinking on policy and again demonstrates Mr Latham's inability to get across the detail.
Restoring the primacy of the award system is the very opposite of flexibility.
The election of a Latham Labor government would turn back the clock on industrial relations. The productivity gains of recent years, due in great measure to workplace flexibility and true enterprise bargaining, would be put at risk.
A Federal Labor government would join eight state and territory Labor governments.
Such unprecedented coast to coast Labor governments throughout Australia would provide the trade union movement with a heaven sent opportunity to secure massive re-regulation of Australia's industrial relations system.
The unions would grab the opportunity. Dr Emerson has exposed his Leader's futile attempts to pretend otherwise.