Australian Bulletin of Labour

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https://hdl.handle.net/2328/25871

The Australian Bulletin of Labour exists to promote investigation and understanding of all matters relevant to the contemporary labour market and employment relations. It provides an outlet for new ideas about the factors that shape the experiences of, and the distribution of rewards from, work. Contributors to the journal are from all fields advancing these aims, including economics, management, sociology and labour law, with an emphasis on applied research and policy evaluation that is accessible to interested non-technical readers.

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    Shiftwork and rostering arrangements in the Australian mining industry: An overview of key trends
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Heiler, K ; Pickersgill, R
    The paper presents some of the key results from a comprehensive national survey into current shiftwork and rostering arrangements in the Australian mining industry. The findings confirm the continued trend towards both compressed and extended shifts in commuting and non-commuting mining sites. The survey also confirms a shift towards long average weekly hours, a trend that now appears to be a structural feature of the industry in Australia. We explore the reasons for what has arguably become a “regulatory vacuum” around working hours in Australia, including the occupational health and safety and industrial relations implication of these trends. We conclude by arguing that none of the industrial parties appears particularly well positioned to tackle these problems, and that all parties are compromised by a conflict of interest between the health and safety interests of employees and the financial and profit imperatives that drive the industry and the stakeholders within it.
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    The September 11 shock to tourism and the Australian economy from 2001-02 to 2003-04
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Adams, Philip D ; Dixon, Peter B
    N/A
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    The fusion of picketing, policing and public order theory within the industrial relations context of the 1992 APPM dispute at Burnie
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Baker, D
    Policing can play a significant role in the processes, procedures and outcomes of major industrial confrontations. The 1992 APPM dispute provides the opportunity to gauge the usefulness of the ‘flashpoints’ theory during a protracted period of police and picketer cooperation that was followed by one day’s pitched battle. The decision of Justice Wright in the Tasmanian Supreme Court acted as a ‘spark’ to the bitter industrial dispute. Aspects of the ‘flashpoints’ theory can be assessed to explain why order, rather than disorder, was maintained for so long during the APPM dispute. The rapport that developed between local police and unionists was influential in avoiding violence at the picket lines. This case-study illustrates the importance of interactions between the police and the industrial protagonists in alleviating the chances of violence during volatile industrial disputation.
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    Regional unemployment in Queensland: Dimensions and policy issues
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) McGuire, P
    The problems of regional decline and regional unemployment have taken on a particular importance in Queensland in recent years. However, it is clear that the two issues are separate and require different policy solutions. While many regional communities have experienced declining population and employment, they have generally maintained low unemployment rates. By contrast, many of the regions with the highest unemployment rates have experienced very fast population and employment growth. Analysis suggests that population tends to adjust quite quickly to declining employment opportunities through migration. Ironically, however, such migration flows tend to increase unemployment rate differentials between regions, as people move from low unemployment/ low employment growth regions to high unemployment/ high employment growth regions. Industry structure, structural change and educational attainment are also relevant to regional unemployment, but the linkages are complex and appear to differ between regions.
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    Industrial arbitration
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Higgins, H.B.
    N/A
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    A new estimate of casual employment?
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Campbell, I ; Burgess, J
    "Researchers at the Productivity Commission have challenged the standard ABS estimates of casual employment in Australia. Using information drawn from the recent Forms of Employment Survey, they propose a new, drastically-reduced estimate of the number of casual employees. They argue that the standard category of ‘casual’ is too broad and confusing and that it is necessary to exclude various groups of workers that cannot be regarded as ‘true’ casual employees. We contend that, apart from the argument for excluding owner-managers of incorporated enterprises, there is no justification for the downward revision. The new estimate does not succeed in undermining the results of previous research. Casualisation, based on high and growing levels of casual density, continues to demand attention from both researchers and policy-makers."
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    The changing Australian labour market: Developments during the last decade
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Preston, A
    N/A
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    The changing frontier of control in coal: Evidence from a decade of Enterprise Bargaining in the Australian black coal mining industry
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Waring, P ; Barry, M
    Recent research on the Australian coal industry has highlighted the difficulties the industry faces arising from reduced world coal prices, escalating production costs and overall declining levels of profitability, despite strong demand for coal – a situation that has been described as one of ‘profitless prosperity’. In response to these difficulties, management in the industry have sought, via enterprise bargaining, to increase labour flexibility and productivity and weaken union control at the mine site level. This paper seeks to empirically investigate these changes at the mine site level by examining the contents of certified agreements struck in the coal mining districts of NSW and Queensland since 1995. The analysis focuses on bargaining outcomes with respect to changing work organisation, external labour arrangements, union security and retrenchment provisions and other relevant industrial relations issues which, collectively, illustrate the extent of industrial relations change in the coal industry. We argue that the frontier of control at the mine site level has shifted considerably in favour of management during the 1990s, although not to the extent expected.
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    Women, superannuation and the SGC
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Preston, A ; Austen, S
    Superannuation is the Commonwealth Government’s preferred system for the provision of income in retirement. By definition, occupational superannuation benefits those with a strong attachment to the workforce. Employment in a part-time capacity and/or a low-paid, low status occupation places a significant constraint on the capacity of individuals to accumulate private retirement savings. The policy shift towards this form of retirement income system thus has particular adverse consequences for women. Using micro-simulations this paper estimates the final lump-sums that women with a range of different work and other characteristics could expect to achieve. Adequacy assessments suggest that, even under a fully-matured Superannuation Guarantee Charge system, a typical woman will remain heavily dependent on the age pension in retirement. The results highlight the need for greater public debate over government policy with respect to the whole retirement income system, rather than a narrow focus on superannuation.
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    Costs and benefits of new apprenticeships
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Dockery, Alfred Michael ; Kelly, Ross ; Norris, Keith ; Stromback, Thorsten
    The introduction of New Apprenticeships in January of 1998 marked an important initiative in Australia’s efforts to develop a more encompassing system of employ-ment based vocational education and training. This paper draws on evidence from case studies of 60 employers to assess the impact of these reforms on training outcomes and practices. The provisions most enthusiastically embraced by employers include competency-based assessment and flexibility in time spent in training. However, these positive indicators of the reform process have not translated into an improved cost/benefit outcome for employers. Comparison with previous findings suggests that the net cost of employing trainees has not really changed while the net cost of apprentices is estimated to be higher than it was in 1996.
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    The rise of intangible capital and labour market segmentation
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Webster, E
    Labour is becoming an important asset vis-à-vis physical capital as the asset structures of firms change over time. The peculiarities of labour assets are that they appreciate with usage rather than depreciate. In contrast with physical capital, over-use leads to an increase in their value and under-use leads to an erosion. The more able or those considered to have the most potential are generally recruited to the asset sector of the labour market where positive work experiences are reinforcing while the less able or those considered to have less potential are excluded. Accordingly, the work experiences and skills of the labour force becomes more polarised.
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    Re-regulation of bargaining in New Zealand: The Employment Relations Act 2000
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Walsh, P ; Harbridge, R
    N/A
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    Editor's Introduction: Special Issue on Casual Employment
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Cully, M
    n/a
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    The ACTU’s response to the growth in long-term casual employment in Australia
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Watts, Richard
    "The steady growth in the level of and nature of casual employment in Australia poses unique challenges for the union movement. With a quarter of Australian workers and a third of women in the workforce now employed as casuals, a fresh look at the union movement’s traditional response to casual employment is required. The ACTU has recognised the changes in the labour force and the need to adopt a strategy which protects the interests of casual employees, whilst maintaining and enhancing the interests of ongoing part-time and full-time employees. This article outlines one element of the ACTU strategy, the campaign for parental leave for long-term casuals."
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    The labour market--2000 in perspective
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Hancock, Keith Jackson ; Safari, Ben
    N/A
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    A new estimate of casual employment? Reply
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Murtough, G ; Waite, M
    "We have not produced an alternative estimate of casual employment. Rather, we have analysed a new measure published by the ABS, which shows that 17.7 per cent of employed persons had a casual contract in August 1998. This new measure was developed by the ABS to overcome significant measurement problems with its standard definition of casual employees (which accounted for 23.2 per cent of employed persons in August 1998). Our analysis sought to dispel the misconception that all casual contract employees are the same, with no entitlements, undesirable work arrangements, and similar preferences for ongoing employment."
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    New apprenticeships: An unheralded Labour Market Program
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2001) Culley, M ; Curtain, R .
    N/A
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    Full employment in a low-growth or steady-state economy: A consideration of the issues
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2002) Lawn, Philip Andrew
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    AWAs: A review of the literature and debates
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2002) Van Barneveld, K ; Waring, P
    The re-election of the Howard Government in the 2001 federal election has secured the place of AWAs in Australian industrial relations. Yet their continued presence does not remain free of controversy or conjecture. In this paper we survey the extant literature on AWAs, noting in particular, the debates over various aspects of their operation and effect. We conclude by outlining a research agenda to resolve the most critical questions raised by the literature review, and a proposal that the Office of the Employment Advocate consider gathering new data to improve AWA research.