Industrial Legislation In 2000

Abstract

A review of legislation passed and proposed in 2000 suggests a change in the direction of regulatory reform in Australia and New Zealand. A fresh concern with equity issues has tempered the push for efficiency-oriented reform. The Australian Federal Government’s attempts to further restrict industry-wide industrial activity in favour of enterprise based bargaining and individual contracting have met resistance from a Senate concerned with the fairness of the proposed reforms. New legislation passed or proposed in other jurisdictions (notably New Zealand, Victoria and New South Wales) has focused on amendments to take care of the casualties of the 1990s reform agenda—dependent contractors, long term casuals, and the low-paid. Changes to the Corporations Law have been enacted to make company directors more responsible for protecting employees’ accrued entitlements.