CPSU Federal Secretary and Our Victorian Branch Secretary Karen Batt addressed Melbourne's massive Change the Rules Rally outside Flinders Street Station.

‘CPSU members are here today to declare we will fight

We will fight to change the rules for the interest of all our members across the national and state tiers of government.

We are over two million workers

Standing up for public services has always been a fight we’ve taken on

Governments become our employers

Whether here in Victoria, in New South Wales, W.A., South Australia, Qld, Tasmania, and nationally

Our members have never forgotten the damage done by

- Kennett then Baillieu,

- Baird now Berejiklian,

- Court then Barnett,

- Brown.

- Newman

- Groome and now Hodgeman,

- Howard Abbott and now Turnbull

Their extreme agenda has always been consistent across the three decades I’ve been involved

To abolish the independent umpire making access to dispute resolution conditional on their consent

To remove organised worker representatives (unions) from the bargaining table by introducing the concept of non-union bargaining reps. How Orwellian

Using their legislative powers to abolish conditions of employment they don’t like and replacing them with inferior terms and cancelling pay rises unless workers signed away their protected entitlements.

Using corrupted ballot processes to use non unionists, casuals, those no longer employed in ballots on collective agreements opposed by union members to force through inferior conditions.

Only offering individual contracts not collective agreement choices to certain employees.

Forcing workers to choose between a job or a non-union agreement when the service they deliver is privatised.

But across the country and across the jurisdictions CPSU members have fought election after election to change our employer and then change the rules.

And we have won. And we will win this time.

We all know the power of a fair and independent umpire.

We know the power of workplace rights, the power that comes from dignity in secure work

The power of a real wage based on the value of the job done and the contribution made.

Our members who work for our national government are confronting the challenges that I have just outlined right now

The system is stacked against their pursuit of secure jobs or real wage increases because the federal government behaves as a bully employer

Our members who work in the federal court and in the bureau of meteorology have been trying to negotiate for a fair EBA for the best part of 5 years

They are being deliberately economically literally starved as they have received no pay rises since June 2013.

This is why the rules must change.

Our members in the department of home affairs whose claims for a fair outcome has been dragging on in fair work since 2016 with no end in sight.

This is why the rules must change.

All our members in these agencies are fighting for respect and dignity at work which is denied them by their employer manipulating outdated bargaining rules.

They are all here today

They will fight to change the rules.

We all stand here today to help change the rules for them, for all Australia’s public sector workers

CPSU pledges to fight for a better country and for a fair go for all working people.

Here’s a takeaway message for you Malcolm Turnbull:

You can ignore us or think we are all fools but we are mobilising in our millions to change the rules.

Thank you.

Melbourne 9th May 2018