But the indicators are there. Key messages from the policy make it clear that this is nothing timid, it is not measured and it certainly is not fair for the Australian workforce. It is a clear attack on the rights of workers, their representatives and the signalling of a return to a system that disempowers the masses in favour of the few. While Mr Abbott and Coalition workplace spokesman Eric Abetz spent just minutes on individual flexibility agreements, this is one of the most frightening aspects of the policy. Workers forced to bargain for their rights on an individual basis will find they are worse off; penalty rates will go, pay packets will shrink and conditions will worsen. No matter how it is prettied up, an individual worker seated across from an employer does not have the bargaining power to negotiate a fair deal. Like the majority of the Coalition's policy announcements this will hurt the lower paid worker and women more severely that higher earners. Employers will be the big winners as they will be able to squeeze more out of their workforce for less. One of the measures in the policy is to ''ensure union right of entry provisions are sensible and fair''. What does this mean in the workplace? It means workers who want or need access to their representative must jump hurdles to get it. Limiting the ability of workers to ask questions about their rights and shutting down tea-room conversations about what is fair and what is unfair will leave many – especially young people – without the knowledge required to identify or protect themselves from unscrupulous employers. Young people, particularly those who are unaware of all the conditions that unions have fought for over the years, will accept unfairness as the norm.

No matter how lightly put and how pretty the rhetoric with phrases such as ''underpaid workers get a better deal'' there is nothing to show that this is genuine and on the contrary everything points in a different, much more sinister and yet familiar, direction. The promise of a Productivity Commission inquiry is another clear step towards the derailment of workers' rights because we know from experience that the commission is no friend to the worker. They have previously supported performance pay instead of minimum wage, dropping of penalty rates and other employer-benefiting options. We do not expect them to fairly balance the experience of workers against the ''productivity'' or profit generation of business, big or small. Everything in the Coalition's IR policy leads in one direction. Mr Abbott's desperation in clutching onto the handful of undesirables instead of acknowledging the masses of good is hypocritical and misleading. Which brings me to the issue Mr Abbott spent most of his press conference discussing, so called ''corrupt unions''. I would prefer, of course, to avoid discussing this topic for the pure reason that it is insulting to all the hardworking people I know. But, it is clear that the Coalition will be clutching onto this issue way beyond its use-by-date and therefore I will address the past, hopefully, for the final time.

The union movement was hurt and disgusted by the actions of a few among us. Those individuals have been dealt with by authorities and they are considered an embarrassment and outcasts of the union movement. They have sullied the name and reputations of thousands of unionists who work hard every day for worker's rights, human rights and a better Australia. Mr Abbott's desperation in clutching onto the handful of undesirables instead of acknowledging the masses of good is hypocritical and misleading. There are hundreds of corporate fraud cases, every industry has its black sheep and, unfortunately, the union movement is no different. And we will deal with them and exile them from our ranks the same way as in every other example. So if the Coalition comes to power in September, and if they, as expected, launch an attack on ''dodgy'' unions, don't fooled by the spin. This is just another line on the board towards the ultimate goal of disempowering workers and their representatives. And if the Coalition wins this battle and when the picture on the board has been filled in with all the details and it is turned the right way up you will find that the Australian worker is worse off. Many of the things we hold dear about this country such as fair pay, respect and safety in workplace will have taken a severe hit.

Ged Kearney is the president of the ACTU.