The Architect Of Workchoices Is Now In Charge Of The Prime Minister’s Employment Strategy

    "He has long advocated for WorkChoices and for cutting penalty rates."

    One of the architects of the Howard government's controversial industrial relations reforms, Dr Peter Hendy, has been appointed as prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's chief adviser on employment, participation, training and industrial relations, in a move Labor is calling a return to WorkChoices.

    Hendy, pictured right, joined Malcolm Turnbull's office as chief economist in August last year after losing the seat of Eden-Monaro, which he had held for just one term (2013-2016).

    Hendy's new role is senior adviser to the prime minister on employment and participation, industrial relations, small business and vocational education and training.

    Hendy has not been replaced as chief economist. Katrina Di Marco remains the prime minister's chief advisor on budget and macro economic policy.

    The prime minister's office refused to comment on Hendy's new role, but BuzzFeed News understands the Turnbull government's staff directory has been updated to include his new responsibilities.

    Hendy was a key backer of Turnbull's during the leadership coup against Tony Abbott in 2015, and his Queanbeyan home was the meeting place for the Turnbull camp during preparations. After the spill he was appointed as the assistant minister for productivity, then finance.

    As chief of staff for the then minister for industrial relations, Peter Reith, Hendy helped draft the first wave of WorkChoices reforms. He boasted to a Senate inquiry into WorkChoices that he was one of the key players behind the legislation.

    The industrial relations reforms introduced by the Howard government in 2005/2006 reduced the rights of workers by scrapping unfair dismissal claims in companies with fewer than 101 employees; enabled workers to bargain for conditions without collective representation; restricted trade union activity, including strikes; and outlawed industry-wide industrial action and pattern bargaining (the latter a practice of using an industrial agreement with improved conditions at one company as the starting point or precedent for negotiations with another company).

    Labor repealed WorkChoices after Kevin Rudd won the 2007 election.

    After leaving Reith's office Hendy headed the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), running a pro-WorkChoices campaign.

    "WorkChoices will be a significant benefit to Australian business and the Australian community over the years, and we fully support it," Hendy told the ABC in 2006.

    While at the ACCI Hendy published a paper that encouraged the cutting of pensions and family payments, and increasing the retirement age to 70 – policy ideas that foreshadowed many of the changes proposed by the Abbott government.

    Labor's shadow employment minister Brendan O'Connor told BuzzFeed News that Hendy's job title change, following the Fair Work Commission's cut to penalty rates, is a sign that Turnbull is working on WorkChoices 2.0.

    “Malcolm Turnbull should know one of the reasons Peter Hendy is advising him as a staff member, not as the Member for Eden-Monaro, is because he has long advocated for WorkChoices and for cutting penalty rates," O'Connor said.