Unions handed $20m by the Labor Government. Source: Herald Sun
TAXPAYERS have forked out $20 million to the union movement since Labor came to power - including tens of thousands of dollars to fly ACTU executives overseas.
As the Gillard Government struggles to sell last week's Budget, it can be revealed the nation's most powerful unions have received lucrative payments to offset travel costs and to sell the ALP's workplace reforms to their members.The figure includes $10 million provided to help train up the next generation of union leaders by improving the "skills and knowledge" of employee representatives.
And in a neat case of fiscal symmetry, $20 million represents the same amount that unions donated to the Labor Party since 2007 to help bankroll election campaigns. A Government spokesman last night defended the payments.
"The Gillard Government provides an even-handed approach to funding," he said.
"This is in stark contrast to the Coalition who funnelled $38 million in funding to employers for WorkChoices education and not one cent to employees or unions."
Senior industry figures said the Rudd and Gillard governments had poured money into the union movement over the past three years - in contrast to John Howard who favoured employer bodies.
Documents reveal nearly $4 million was given to the ACTU - including $159,000 in travel costs. This allowed it to send representatives to the annual International Labour Organisation talkfest in Geneva.
Taxpayers also funded $12,164 for the ACTU executive to fly to New Zealand for a "bilateral conference".
The Union Education Foundation, a not-for-profit trust of the ACTU, received $11.6 million. The Prime Minister last year announced the foundation was receiving the lion's share of funds to explain Labor's Fair Work laws - which replaced WorkChoices.
The Department of Workplace Relations said a $10 million grant to the foundation was designed to "create a co-operative workplace relations environment by improving the skills and knowledge of employee representatives".
