WHO TRUSTS ABBOTT ON IR??

Fed: Survey reveals Australians don't trust Abbott on IR

15 February 2010 | Content provided to you by AAP.

CANBERRA, Feb 15 AAP - Most Australians believe federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott would bring back Work Choices if elected, a poll has found.

The ACTU poll comes as both sides of politics gear up for an election with industrial relations again to be a key feature.

Mr Abbott has previously said the Work Choices industrial relations regime introduced by the Howard government was "dead" and that he had no intention of reviving it.

However, the poll of 2099 people found just 18 per cent believe it is unlikely the coalition will reintroduce Work Choices.

More than half of those surveyed (53 per cent) believe it is likely or very likely the coalition would seek to reintroduce Work Choices or a similar system under a different name.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow said the results showed Australians had deep suspicions about Mr Abbott's support for hardline industrial relations policies.

"Australians remember the damage caused by Work Choices under the former Liberal government in which Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey were senior ministers," Ms Burrow said.