Industrial Legislation in 2001

Abstract

At the federal level, the year 2001 saw much legislative activity in the form of bills, debates, revisions and rejections--but very little progress for the government’s ‘third wave’ industrial reform program. Apart from some changes to the unfair dismissals regime, much important legislation was left on the table when Parliament rose before the November federal election. Around the states, small but important changes to leave entitlements and other matters suggest some fine-tuning to ensure the most vulnerable workers are protected, but generally indicate stability in state industrial regimes.