Summary
A compilation of seven 30 second television campaign ads highlighting the threat to ordinary workers of the Howard Government’s 2005 Work Choices legislation. The campaign ads feature a range of ordinary workers facing cuts to wages and the loss of family friendly working conditions. Most of the ads feature a John Howard speech in which he claims that his government is the best friend workers have ever had. This is contrasted with scenes in which paid actors play the part of workers, the first of which is an employee of the Howard Government’s Department of Employment and Workplace Relations stating that the Government is not a friend of workers and that employees in that department have been forced to sign individual contracts. Another ad contrasts Howard’s comment with a ‘footy dad’ at a local park with his son, in which he explains how his employer wants him to work late on Friday nights, threatening his childcare and family time needs. Another ad sees a father and teenage daughter sitting on a sofa, where we learn that her new contract has cut $1000 off her pay, while the final ad in the series depicts a worried mother sitting in her car talking about how she has been sacked over her childcare responsibilities.
Special Notes/Achievements
Author: J Bird, 2023