Abstract
This paper reviews the Report of the (Hancock) Committee of Review into Australian Industrial Relations Law and Systems. It analyses the economic effects of minimum wage regulations and the extent to which Australian trade unions are “above” the law. It is argued that minimum wage legislation induces waste and exacerbates poverty by preventing disadvantaged groups from competing for the jobs of favoured groups. The report is criticised for neglecting these issues. The report's main attempted defence of the status quo—that it holds
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