The Reserve Bank of Australia has joined business leaders in criticising both sides of parliament for their disinclination to look at changes to workplace laws in preparations for the federal poll.

Reserve Bank's board member Graham Kraehe, who is also chairman of Brambles Ltd and Bluescope Ltd, said it was frustrating that the rigidity of parts of the laws would not be dealt with by the next parliament, and that there was a necessity to address flaws in the present Fair Work Act.

"It is unfortunate that we now have the least flexibility in the labour market since the Hawke and Keating era," Mr Kraehe said.
According to him, union access rights laws were the most significant of several defects that should be "urgently corrected".

Mr Kraehe's comments followed after Opposition Leader Tony Abbot admitted he cannot give an "absolute guarantee" on workplace laws.

"Obviously I can't say that there will never ever, for 100 or 1,000 years time, be any change to any aspect of industrial legislation. But the Fair Work Act will not be amended in the next term of government if we are in power."

"Work Choices, it's dead, it's buried, it's cremated, now and forever, but obviously, I can't give an absolute guarantee about every single aspect of workplace relations legislation," Mr Abbott said.

He insists the focus on the concern is a sign of desperation from Labor.

"They are desperate to run the 2010 election as if it were the 2007 election."