The pace of change - the breakneck speed of industrial relations law reform since 2022

Abstract

The election of Labor Governments nationally and in New South Wales (NSW), after nine and twelve years in opposition respectively, have seen the rapid implementation of ‘interesting and critical developments in Australian industrial relations’ in both spheres. Leaving aside the usual hyperbole displayed by both supporters and opponents of industrial relations law reform generally, the changes that have been made by each of the Albanese and Minns Labor Governments have been, on any measure, highly significant. The rapid pace at which those changes have been made is also noteworthy. At the Federal level, they arguably constitute more significant changes to the industrial relations framework than the original enactment of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (‘FWA’). The reforms in NSW are, so far, more in the nature of a restoration of the model in the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) (‘the IRA’).