The federal government's Work Choices legislation has taken over much of the jurisdiction of state governments to regulate labour practices in the conventional manner. There are already indications that the states are considering more creative forms of labour regulation, including 'soft' or...

This paper examines the application of labour law in micro and small enterprises (MSEs) by comparing the practices in various member States of the ILO. Extending the coverage of labour law to numerous MSEs has been problematic in several countries largely due to practical reasons of the limited...

Trade unions in Australia have long played an important role in the enforcement of minimum employment standards. At the same time that the law has evolved to emphasize the representation and servicing role of trade unions, the Australian union movement has sought to revitalize and grow through...

Analysis of the role of the state in shaping industrial relations and employment practices has traditionally focused on labour law. Certainly, a key role of government has been to set labour standards through legislation, or by establishing legal systems of industrial relations whereby conflicts...

The former Federal Coalition Government’s industrial relations reforms restricted the capacity of state governments to make labour law, inspiring them to consider more innovative ways of regulating labour standards in the private sector including through greater use of public procurement. This...