Smoke and mirrors !

One thing is becoming clear at the Australian Labor party's national conference. Kevin Rudd is a master illusionist.
The job before him is awesome. Somehow he must convince those suspicious that their wages and conditions will be undermined by AWA's that he will provide a fair go for all - but at the same time he must convince business that he will not take wages back to the bad old days of " a dog's breakfast " of rules and conditions that made employing people unworkable - and both of these objectives has to be achieved without incurring the wrath of the unions !
Enter smoke and mirrors !
Rudd is proposing to amalgamate the Industrial Relations commission, the Fair Pay commission and the Office of Employment Advocate as the sole body to arbitrate all matters relating to employment. This body would set wages and conditions, rule on disputes - and be the fairy godmother of fairness to employee and employer.
In effect, this one body would be the prosecutor, the defence lawyer, the judge and the jury in determining all things industrial.
It is said that " the devil is in the detail " - and Rudd has been very careful to orchestrate the smoke and mirrors to obscure that detail.
As a result, the proposal is all things to all people - until it eventually emerges from the smoke and mirrors and stands in the light of day.
Rudd hopes that when that happens it will be after the election - and he will be the prime minister of this country.
One of the things that should set alarm bells ringing in many people's minds is the fact that the unions are giving it the nod. Obviously the union bosses have been given to believe that this amalgamated body will be studded with stooges who will adopt the union line - and they await a return to collective bargaining under union control and all the baggage that entails.
Rudd is undertaking this country's biggest con job. By playing the cards close to his chest he hopes to hoodwink employees, employers and the unions into each thinking they are going to get their heart's desire.
A pragmatic thinker, Rudd knows that the plan he will unfold when actually elected will be more like the present regime. Industry is employing more people now it has regained the right to hire and fire, so the constrictive choker of unfair dismissal will be a casualty of Rudd's new order. He will probably ease the open slather approach by withdrawing national holidays such as Christmas day, Easter and Anzac day from being negotiated away, but there is no way he will see a return to closed shop conditions or restrictions on multi-skilling.
In short, we are witnessing an election campaign run by a man with skills similar to our present prime minister, What you see is not what you will get - and in all fairness Rudd seems to be a man who would bring in a regime totally different from the present Liberal and Labor party thinking - and that could be what this country badly needs !