State Government Management-Union Relations in Victoria and New South Wales

Abstract

The increasing volume of literature on state government labour relations seems to have neglected a particularly fertile area—the Australian experience. The Australian situation is of special interest because of the early develop ment of government-union bargaining over wages and conditions of employ ment. This study will consider the systems that have evolved in two of the Australian states—New South Wales and Victoria—and highlight certain problem areas. Various implications for state government labour relations, generally, are discussed and it is shown that workable industrial relations in state government can be achieved through different forms and processes.