This report argues that weak labour market conditions could be improved significantly through pro-active efforts by government to link public spending in all forms to improved job quality and compensation.

Australia is a global pacesetter in the creation of various forms of insecure employment, leaving only 60% of the workforce in standard, secure work, according to this report from the ACTU.

Australia has a detailed system of ‘awards’ that specify different minimum wages depending on the industry, location and skill of an employee. Using job-level data from a survey of firms, this paper examines the effect of award wage changes on wages, hours worked and the job destruction rate.

This position paper identifies some simple steps to tackle the overly complex workplace relations system for small businesses.

This report argues that Australia is a politically stable, neutral location for the arbitration of disputes between parties in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.