This is the website of Alex White, in Melbourne Australia, a campaigns and communications professional working in the trade union movement.

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Was Work Choices a Roadblock to Productivity?

by Alex on 01. Sep, 2009 in Policy

A critical assessment of the Work Choices laws in addressing its stated aims and objectives
The 2005 legislation, Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act represented one of the most fundamental shifts in industrial relations laws and Commonwealth-State relations since Federation. With the principle aim of Work Choices to “unleash a new burst of productivity growth”, John [...]

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Accommodating China’s Carbon Emissions

by Alex on 26. Aug, 2009 in Policy

I am making my most recent paper on climate change available for download as a pdf. This is a change from my earlier policy entries on this website. Originally I cut and pasted the text directly to the website.
However, to make it easier to read and print, I have converted the paper to a pdf [...]

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We need strong action on emissions trading

by Alex on 15. Nov, 2008 in Blog, Opinion, Policy

The Garnaut report released earlier this year made the case for a robust emissions trading scheme. If Australia is to combat climate change, Federal Labor needs to take immediate action to reduce the amount of carbon put into the atmosphere.
As activists, we have a duty to lobby senior Ministers in parliament to do everything they [...]

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Australia needs strong collective bargaining

by Alex on 02. Nov, 2008 in Blog, Policy

The right to collectively bargain was gutted by the Howard Government… unfortunately it looks like the Rudd Government may squib at fully restoring that right. Under the WorkChoices laws, Australian workers have no enforceable right to collectively bargain. Employers can indefinitely delay collective bargaining, denying their employees rights.
Collective bargaining at a workplace level is the [...]

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Desalination and water security

by Alex on 01. Nov, 2008 in Blog, Policy

Water security and sustainable use are crucial elements for future development. Agricultural use represents seventy per cent of water use in Victoria and Australia, with the remainder consumed by industry and urban usage. The drought and broader environmental concerns necessitate that Victoria develop alternative water sources to traditional surface reserves and rain-fall.
Desalination is an alternative [...]

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