You are telling lies but I am selling reform

You are telling lies but I am selling reform

Ross Gittins
11 July 2005
The Sydney Morning Herald

There's nothing new about furious arguments between governments and interest groups opposed to the changes those governments propose.

What's different about the argument over the industrial relations changes, however, is the degree of verbal abuse the Government has been heaping on the ACTU.

John Howard and the normally God-fearing Kevin Andrews have repeatedly referred to the unions' claims as "lies".

That's a pretty tough word to be using in the rough and tumble of political debate, where both sides are likely to be exaggerating their case and saying things calculated to mislead an uninitiated public.

It's an invitation to people in my position to run the old lie detector over the Government's claims. And frankly, those taxpayer-financed newspaper ads at the weekend don't stack up too well.

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