WorkChoices not enough for mining boss

30 October, 2024

Howard-era WorkChoices reforms “did not go far enough” in the eyes of an influential mining boss. 

Chief Executive of the Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA), Steve Knott addressed the HR Nicholls Society in Melbourne recently, arguing the business community should lobby the Coalition “as hard as possible” to quash Australia’s entire modern award system and severely limit unfair dismissal protections. 

“The awards system must be abolished and replaced with a simple standard safety net for all employees,” he said in the address.  

“Employers should have the right to make decisions about who to employ or not to employ and who to keep in their business and who not,” Knott said. 

Speaking at the same event, Shadow Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said he had been advised “not to go off script” but invited attendees to “get some of the subtext” in his remarks about “turning the tide and restoring Australia’s prosperity through workplace reform”. 

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