‘Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics': The Business Coalition for Workplace Reform Campaign of 2007

In early 2007 the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, urged business groups and employers to conduct a publicity and media campaign in defence of his government's WorkChoices industrial relations laws. In mid-2007, nineteen employer associations established the Business Coalition for Workplace Reform (BCWR) in response to this challenge. The media campaign (‘Let's keep workplace reform’) was largely based on a report prepared by Econtech Pty Ltd (2007), commissioned by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This article analyses both the Econtech report and the BCWR campaign.