Overview

Industrial relations is critically important for economic performance as well as the social cohesion of a nation. In Australia, industrial relations has been subject to numerous reforms by both Labor and Liberal-National Party Coalition governments during recent decades.\nThis book critically analyses recent changes in work and employment relations and their policy implications for Australia. Scholarly essays by prominent experts in the field examine the lessons that can be learned from previous attempts to reform industrial relations by governments with different political agendas and challenges which may lie ahead.\nSome of the key questions addressed in this book include:\n\nWhat can be learned from past attempts to reform the industrial relations system?\nWhat have been the impacts of recent legislative reforms from the Howard government's 'WorkChoices' to the Rudd/Gillard government's 'Fair Work Australia' and the recent Abbott/Turnbull government's policies on industrial relations?\nHow does politics influence proposals for industrial relations reform?\nWhat reforms are required in relation to women, work and family issues?\nHow should collective bargaining and dispute settlement systems be reformed?\nHow have wages and productivity been affected by reforms of the industrial relations system?\nWhat are the key issues facing Australia in relation to immigration and workforce skills?\n\nThe book is based on a symposium which celebrated the outstanding contributions of Professor Joe Isaac to scholarship and the practice of industrial relations in Australia and at the international level for more than seven decades.

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9781760020699

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From the outset of the work, the editors make clear that the objective of the publication of the essays is to present ideas which have an impact on future theory and practice of industrial relations in Australia. The underpinning for that pursuit is a belief that advancements in systems of industrial relations have the potential to improve economic performance and social cohesion in Australia. ... Overall, the book contributes to scholarship in the field of industrial relations and provides some ideas for policy development and reform in the increasingly complex world of work. Read full review... - Michael J Walton, Australian Law Journal, 2017, 91 Insightful. I was privileged to review Industrial Relations Reform: Looking to the Future. This textbook was designed as a compilation of essays in honour of Joe Isaac AO. Overall, I found this book to be a very comprehensive traverse into the area of industrial relations in Australia. The book is divided into nine sections covering major reforms in Australian industrial relations by understanding the 1980s and 1990s trends and the politics and policies from 2007 to 2015. The textbook provides its readers with an historical context of industrial relations in Australia with an acknowledgement of the international influences that defined and shaped the current laws and policies. The chapters are authored by eleven distinguished leaders in the field of industrial relations. The central theme is the evolution of industrial relations by focusing on multiple factors such as history, politics and policies, national and international practices, gender impacts, collective bargaining, education and training, immigration, economic impact and impact of international trade. The charts and graphs provide for easy comprehension of trends and the research methodology is thorough. In short, I would recommend Industrial Relations Reform: Looking to the Future as a recommended textbook for university business, law, and sociology classes. - Alexis N Gage, Hearsay, November, 77

Insightful. I was privileged to review Industrial Relations Reform: Looking to the Future. This textbook was designed as a compilation of essays in honour of Joe Isaac AO. Overall, I found this book to be a very comprehensive traverse into the area of industrial relations in Australia. The book is divided into nine sections covering major reforms in Australian industrial relations by understanding the 1980s and 1990s trends and the politics and policies from 2007 to 2015. The textbook provides its readers with an historical context of industrial relations in Australia with an acknowledgement of the international influences that defined and shaped the current laws and policies. The chapters are authored by eleven distinguished leaders in the field of industrial relations. The central theme is the evolution of industrial relations by focusing on multiple factors such as history, politics and policies, national and international practices, gender impacts, collective bargaining, education and training, immigration, economic impact and impact of international trade. The charts and graphs provide for easy comprehension of trends and the research methodology is thorough. In short, I would recommend Industrial Relations Reform: Looking to the Future as a recommended textbook for university business, law, and sociology classes. - Alexis N Gage, Hearsay, November, 77

Author Information

Keith Hancock AO is Emeritus Professor of Economics at Flinders University of South Australia, where he served as Vice-Chancellor between 1980 and 1987. He was Senior Deputy President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission from 1987 to 1997. He headed two major Commonwealth government reviews: on National Superannuation (1974-77) and Australian Industrial Relations Law and Systems (1983-85). He has undertaken pioneering work on Australian labour markets and his definitive Australian Wage Policy: Infancy and Adolescence, was published by the University of Adelaide in 2013. He continues his work on the history of wage setting in Australia. He holds a BA from Melbourne University and a PhD from the London School of Economics. Russell Lansbury is Emeritus Professor and former Associate Dean (Research) in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies, in the University of Sydney Business School. He is former editor of the Journal of Industrial Relations and undertakes research on international and comparative employment relations. In his retirement as Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Professor at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Russell continues his work and travels. Work and Employment Relations - An Era of Change, written as a Tribute to Russell, covers topics relating to his wide research interests and contains the proceedings of a workshop sponsored in his honour by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

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