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Minimum Labour Standards Enforcement in Australia: Caught in the Crossfire?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Miles Goodwin  and
Glenda Maconachie
Miles Goodwin
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology Business School
Glenda Maconachie
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology Business School
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Abstract

The complex transition from convict to free labour influenced state intervention in the employment relationship, and initiated the first minimum labour standards in Australia in 1828. Since then, two principal sets of tensions have affected the enforcement of such standards: tensions between government and employers, and tensions between the major political parties over industrial and economic issues. This article argues that these tensions have resulted in a sustained legacy affecting minimum labour standards’ enforcement in Australia. The article outlines broad historical developments and contexts of minimum labour standards’ enforcement in Australia since 1828, with more contemporary exploration focusing specifically on enforcement practices and policies in the Australian federal industrial relations jurisdiction. Current enforcement practices are an outcome of this volatile history, and past influences remain strong.

Keywords

J810J880L590Enforcement regimesenforcement strategieslabour standardspublic policytrade unions
Type
Symposium
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 22 , Issue 2: Minimum Labour Standards and Their Enforcement , July 2011 , pp. 55 - 79
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2011

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