June 2005       NEWS                     COMMENT       SECTIONS                           RESOURCES                        JANET ALBRECHTSEN The chemistry of protection June 22, 2005 IT'S uncanny how the Howard Government plays hardball when blue-collar unionists squawk over workplace reforms. But when a few men in white coats cry for workplace protection, the same Government listens. Every five years the Government, acting on our behalf, and the Pharmacy Guild, a union acting for pharmacy owners, draw up an agreement that reads like a bible for creating a cartel. Pages and pages of provisions reflect one basic commandment. Thou shalt not compete. Next week the five-year jig is up for pharmacy owners. But just watch the Government do what it did five years ago. Ignore a report that calls for crucial change. Tinker at the edges. And then e

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