This paper shows that employment growth in retail and hospitality has been far slower than in other parts of the economy (where penalty rates remained constant) and job-growth in the two sectors actually slowed by more than half after penalty rates began to fall.

This report forecasts the impact on workers' incomes over the next term of parliament under the two major parties' respective penalty rates policies.

This research puts a number on the total loss of wages that will be experienced by workers in the broad retail and hospitality sectors through the coming holiday period: $80 million this year, rising to $107 million for a similar period once the rate cuts...

This inquiry, the first completed by a Legislative Assembly select committee in many years, examined the impact on Victorians of the Fair Work Commission’s 2017 decision to reduce penalty rates in the hospitality, fast food, retail and pharmacy sectors.

Reduced Sunday and holiday penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers have failed to ignite the 'boom' in employment, as promised by employer groups who supported the change.

There needs to be more of a focus on the adverse effects of lower wages for the economy as a whole, argues John Quiggin.

Penalty rates are a long-standing and important part of Australia's workplace relations framework. They are rightly seen as an important mechanism to ensure that people are adequately compensated for missing out on family activities, on social and family gatherings, and participating in community events.

In February 2017, the Fair Work Commission decided to reduce minimum Sunday and public holiday rates for some award workers in the retail, pharmacy and hospitality industries. Opposition spokeswoman for justice Clare O'Neil claims it amounts to a pay cut.

This report argues that reform is required to allow for greater flexibility over penalty rates in what is currently a highly centralised system.

Australians continue to debate the Fair Work Commission’s recent decision to reduce Sunday and holiday penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers. This report investigates the prevalence of weekend work in other sectors of Australia’s economy - and confirms the overall economic importance of extra...

Government and business leaders have proposed a range of possible “transition” mechanisms to ease the economic hardship, and defuse political anger, following the Fair Work Commission’s decision to cut penalty rates for work on Sundays and public holidays in the retail and hospitality industries. This...

Following on from the McKell Institute’s report on the economic impact of penalty rate cuts in Australia’s retail and hospitality industries, this report looks at the economic and health impacts of cutting penalty rates for nurses, midwives and aged care workers. This report highlights the...

This paper outlines the history of penalty rates in Australia and gives a snapshot of the contemporary debate on the topic. Then, focusing on the retail and hospitality sectors, it looks at proposals aimed at reducing or removing penalty rates all together. As an important...

The Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) survey measures how work intersects with other life activities, as seen by a randomly selected representative group of 2,690 working Australians.