The H. R. Nicholls Society, which held its first meeting early in 1986, represents an industrial relations expression of the New Right, preaching a philosophy of management militancy and the need to take on, if not abolish, trade unions and industrial tribunals. It first came to national prominence with the Robe River lock-out in the second half of 1986. This paper provides information on who H. R. Nicholls was, and examines why he was chosen as the society's mascot and factors that contributed to the formation of the society. It then critically examines various views held by the society—the notion of the Industrial Relations Club, the role of industrial tribunals, the use of equity courts and common law contracts, and the role of markets, with particular reference to the issue of youth unemployment.
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