The Award Safety Net of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The industrial relations changes of the 1990s have altered the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in prescribing and influencing the terms of employment. Its awards are now characterised as a ?safety net? and have, to a significant extent, been displaced by registered agreements as the legal instruments binding employers and employees. The project focuses on the remaining role of the safety net. Wh ....The Award Safety Net of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The industrial relations changes of the 1990s have altered the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in prescribing and influencing the terms of employment. Its awards are now characterised as a ?safety net? and have, to a significant extent, been displaced by registered agreements as the legal instruments binding employers and employees. The project focuses on the remaining role of the safety net. What are its purposes? What are the criteria by which it is adjusted? What are the effects of the adjustments on actual wages, incomes and employment? How does the safety net relate to social welfare policies?Read moreRead less
Working the gig economy: The organisation of digital platform work. This project aims to reveal the characteristics, motivations and relationships between the three central entities which comprise digital platform work: companies which organise work of different skill and scale in the gig economy; end-user individuals and enterprises; and digital platform workers themselves. This project investigates the organisation of platform work from the perspective of both workers and the intermediaries th ....Working the gig economy: The organisation of digital platform work. This project aims to reveal the characteristics, motivations and relationships between the three central entities which comprise digital platform work: companies which organise work of different skill and scale in the gig economy; end-user individuals and enterprises; and digital platform workers themselves. This project investigates the organisation of platform work from the perspective of both workers and the intermediaries they use to find work. Expected outcomes will contribute g to knowledge of workforce transitions and shifting work/home boundaries This has the potential to informeffective policy responses to platform work with respect to labour law, superannuation regulation, organisational policy and social welfare regimes.Read moreRead less
The reality of China's socialist market economy: the emergence of labour segmentation and inequality. Australia's current regional and economic security is predicated on China's stability and prosperity. This project provides a unique opportunity for Australian organisations and institutions to gain a better understanding of the complex economic, regulatory and social issues that surround the problem of labour segmentation and inequality in China.
Facilitating workplace change: Redefining the role of industrial tribunals in Australia. Amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 passed in 2013 have the potential to re-define the role of Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal, the Fair Work Commission, by requiring it to promote cooperative and productive workplace relations. This project aims to identify an innovative model of tribunal intervention that meets these new imperatives through case studies from the Hunter region of NSW, whe ....Facilitating workplace change: Redefining the role of industrial tribunals in Australia. Amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 passed in 2013 have the potential to re-define the role of Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal, the Fair Work Commission, by requiring it to promote cooperative and productive workplace relations. This project aims to identify an innovative model of tribunal intervention that meets these new imperatives through case studies from the Hunter region of NSW, where tribunal members have for two decades been working proactively with managers, employees and their representatives in major construction projects and large public sector organisations to achieve cooperative and effective workplace change. Read moreRead less