Former Labor leader Kim Beazley has called for the "right" balance to Australia's industrial relations system, and says the coalition's stance on the carbon tax is good for the resource industry.
Mr Beazley told an energy conference in the United States last week that for Australia to remain internationally competitive "we have to get costs down and labour relations right", the Australian Financial Review has reported.
In comments that appear to contradict the position of the Labor opposition, Australia's ambassador to the US also touched on the government's attempts to repeal the carbon tax, and efforts to streamline the environmental approval process for major projects.
"The government has already relieved some cost burdens on the industry with its moves on carbon charges and its simplification of approval procedures, and acknowledged more needs to be done," he told the Australian-American Chamber of Commerce conference.
Mr Beazley's speech is likely to be seized on by the Abbott government as it pressures Labor to back its environmental and workplace agenda.
His comments on industrial relations echo those of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has said he wants to move the employer-employee balance "back to the sensible centre".
The coalition have so far been frustrated by Labor and the Greens in parliament, who have blocked attempts to scrap the carbon tax and reintroduce industry watchdog the Australian Building and Construction Commission.
