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Hundreds of thousands of workers took to the streets of cities and towns across Australia today, answering a call to arms in the union-led campaign against industrial relations changes.

Marching in capital cities and in more than 300 regional centres, banner-waving workers joined a national day of protest against the Federal Government's Work Choices Bill, currently the subject of a Senate inquiry. The largest turnout was in Melbourne, where an estimated 150,000 protesters brought the centre of the city to a standstill.

In Sydney, up to 30,000 workers marched on the city centre, while in Brisbane and Adelaide the rallies each attracted around 15,000 protesters.

"This the start of something very big," said ACTU president Sharan Burrow, as union leaders urged workers to fight the changes.

"Today we are standing up for the values that shape the way we care about each other, the way we care about time for our families, and care about a nation that balances prosperity with our great way of life," Ms Burrow told the Melbourne rally.

Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten told workers: "The strategy is to fight, to fight in the workplace, to fight in the community, to fight in the media and to get rid of the Howard government."

Opposition leader Kim Beazley, who received a hero's welcome in Brisbane, said the new laws were an "Americanisation" of Australia's industrial relations system which would push families to breaking point.

"My first act as prime minister of the nation will be to stand on the steps of parliament and rip these laws up ­ these extreme laws are headed straight for the bin which is where they belong," he said.

The ACTU later claimed more than 540,000 people across Australia took part in today's nationwide action.

But the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said more than 95 per cent of workers had ignored the call-out to join the protest.

Prime Minister John Howard said opposition to the workplace reforms could not be measured by the turnout at such protests.

He added: "There have been absurd exaggerations, scaremongering claims, made about these changes which in the fullness of time will be proved wrong."

Federal Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews said the rallies were the product of a "hysterical" union campaign.

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[ 15 November 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

[ 15 November 2005: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]