The coalition’s costly obsession with individual workplace agreements

Of course, just because Abbott is a moderate on industrial relations it doesn’t mean he won’t continue to support big business at the expense of the community on other issues - his promise to scrap the mining tax is one obvious example. His policy on industrial relations is often just the way every-day suburban voters are reminded of the Liberal Party’s view on what makes a good society.

But make no mistakes about it; Abbott has hinted at a return to pre-Workchoices Australian Workplace Agreements.

Abbott has said "we don't support statutory individual contracts. We did once, we don't now."

The problem with his stance is that individual workplace agreements already exist under the Fair Work Act, in the form of Individual Flexibility Arrangements (IFA’s).

The IFA was a creation of the Rudd Government under the Fair Work Act. It is in some ways a ghost of Howard’s AWA - an individual statutory contract between an employer and a single employee.

Unlike AWAs, IFAs can only cover a very narrow range of employment matters against an award or agreement - working hours, overtime rates, penalty rates, allowances, and leave loading. By contrast, Workchoices AWAs could cover virtually any aspect of the employment relationship, so long as it met five national basic employment standards.

The more work conditions an IFA can cover, the more it starts to resemble an AWA.

Abbott has said “You do need more flexibility in your workplace arrangements. Individual flexibility agreements must be made more workable and we will do that”.

Deregulating IFA’s will essentially make them AWA – it’s hard to imagine what else Abbott means by his reference to the increasing meaningless “flexibility” term.

What is also confusing is why the Liberal Party as so hung up on individual contracts in the first place.