Labour Policy
The Australian dream, the great vision of the Australian labour movement, is most simply expressed by a single phrase – the creation of a Working Man’s Paradise. The Australian Labor Party has long betrayed this vision in favour of neoliberal austerity ever since the Hawke and Keating governments. It is the destiny of the battlers of Australia – the wage workers, the small farmers, the tradies – to restore this great dream for the Australian people, now and forevermore. This must begin with stronger labour protections, better conditions, and higher wages.
Establishment of a Public Works Army
The Eureka Party supports the establishment of a Public Works Army to mobilise and train unemployed Australians to rebuild our nation, whether in the form of infrastructure development or reindustrialisation, to reduce unemployment as much as possible.
This proposal will transform the public sector, transitioning from a system of employees fragmented into disparate state-owned enterprises towards a ‘single-employer’ model where all current and future public sector employees, including those employed by nationalised enterprises, automatically become members of the PWA, reducing the administrative friction of changing occupations and roles within the public sector, with full training for roles provided for free by the state, and occupation-switching incentivised through higher wages and bonuses based on government priorities.
Public Sector Workplace Democracy
Our public sector workers deliver important services needed to keep the government running and our infrastructure operational, but are often bogged down by top-down bureaucracy.
The Eureka Party supports the restructuring of the public sector, through the Public Works Army, to put workers in the driver’s seat, replacing top-down bureaucratic management with elected workers’ councils and democratic decision-making at every workplace.
4-Day Work Week
Decades of increased productivity without appropriate revisiting of the working week have left workers nationwide already crushed under cost of living pressures with less time to spend with friends, family, or just with themselves.
The Eureka Party supports Australia becoming the first nation in the world to introduce a 4-day (or 32-hour) working week nationwide, with no loss of pay, and mandatory overtime rates for hours worked beyond 32 hours per week.
Raise the Minimum Working Age to 16 and Abolish Junior Rates
Young Australians are among the most exploited in the workforce when they enter as soon as 14, and until 21 are often paid reduced “junior rates”. This is sometimes necessitated by austerity as teens find themselves having to work to assist single parents. No more should this go on.
The Eureka Party supports the lowering of the minimum working age to 16 to keep young Australians in school for longer.
The Eureka Party supports the wholesale abolition of junior rates, so that every working Australian from 16 and up is paid a full adult living wage, with direct government subsidies replacing junior rates as an incentive for employers to hire younger workers.
Restore the Military Apprenticeship Scheme
The Eureka Party supports the reestablishment of the Military Apprenticeship Scheme, for workers and high school graduates wanting to upskill to contribute to national rebuilding.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The PWA is a voluntary job guarantee - anyone who wants a job gets one at a living wage, with free training and the ability to switch occupations. It's modelled on the original concept of a government employer of last resort, not military conscription. The "Army" branding reflects mobilisation and national service ethos, not compulsion. Workers have full collective bargaining rights and democratic workplace management through elected workers' councils.
Productivity has increased dramatically over decades while the working week hasn't changed. Workers are already overworked and underpaid relative to the value they produce. A 4-day week at no loss of pay redistributes the gains of productivity back to workers. Multiple international trials have shown productivity is maintained or improved with shorter weeks. Mandatory overtime rates beyond 32 hours ensure flexibility for employers who need more coverage.