While privatising or tendering out government infrastructure and public works services has become commonplace in Australia, its incursion into human services is comparatively new. Some outsourcing issues and problems are common to both types of service but the welfare or human dimension also...

A survey of 1800 small and medium sized businesses is used to shed light on the number of workers covered by minimum wage legislation in Australia. Estimates are obtained and reported of the employment effects of changing the way in which minimum wages are set in Australia.