Industrial Relations 2001: A New Spirit of Compromise?

During 2001 the minister in control of industrial relations in Australia changed from Peter Reith to Tony Abbott, and it was expected that a strong legislative agenda would follow. However, the year turned out to be relatively uneventful in respect of legislative change and the expected `second wave' of industrial reform did not eventuate. Nevertheless, a number of matters of note did arise. Following the collapse of several companies, workers' entitlements became a prominent issue, with the union movements Manusafe scheme as the preferred method of ensuring protection of entitlements. Most interest in respect of changes to employment conditions centredon the courts and tribunals, in which such matters as work and family, contract workers, outsourcing, and casual employment received attention. On the union side, a royal commission was established and although the level of unionism continued to decline, overall numbers increased. On a positive note, a new era of union-management co-operation was observed by some commentators.