Unions targeting 20 marginal seats in national doorknock campaign

Extract from The Guardian

ACTU says the Coalition government’s two year anniversary highlights its ‘abysmal’ performance

ACTU president Ged Kearney is leading a doorknock campaign targeting marginal seats. Photograph: Helen Velissaris/AAP

Australian Associated Press

Saturday 12 September 2015 11.05 AEST

Unions are targeting more than 20 marginal federal electorates in a national doorknock to highlight what they say are the Abbott government’s failings.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions campaign, which it says will be its biggest doorknock, follows the government’s two-year anniversary.

The peak union body says the milestone serves only to highlight the government’s “abysmal” performance during that period.

It says its members will be “talking up” Australian jobs, health and education, public services and the prospect of a secure retirement – something it has accused the prime minister of failing to act on.

In a statement, the ACTU has singled out issues around penalty rates, the minimum wage, unfair dismissal laws, higher education fees, and cuts to both the public sector workforce and health and education funding as key points of the doorknock.

ACTU president Ged Kearney says the campaign is crucial in the fight for living standards and the future.

“Workers and their families will fight any move to cut rights at work, jobs, health and education,” she said.

“If the Abbott government wants to make these election issues – we say bring it on.”

The next federal election is not due until late 2016.