News, media releases, opinions and articles from the Centre for Future Work.
Call for Applications: Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Fellow
We have launched a search for the first Carmichael Fellow. Please see the below call for applications for further information. Applications close at midnight (AEDT) on Monday, 18 January. Thank you for your interest in the Carmichael Centre! A new research centre dedicated to the legacy of one of Australia’s greatest union leaders will be established…
New Research Centre Established to Honour Union Leader Laurie Carmichael
A new research centre dedicated to the legacy of one of Australia’s greatest union leaders will be established in 2021 at the Australia Institute. Laurie Carmichael played a pivotal role in Australia’s union movement over several decades. He campaigned to protect the right to strike, negotiated shorter working hours, developed innovative workers’ education and training…
Profile: Combining Economics and Social Justice
We are pleased to reprint (download below), with kind permission from In the Black, this profile, titled ‘The People’s Economist‘. Many thanks to the journal and to Ms. Leggatt for the generous article! Business representatives sit down today with government and others to talk about productivity. Who, according to those business representatives, will need to…
Porter IR Bill a Wish List for Business
Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter tabled an omnibus bill on 9 December containing multiple amendments to Australia’s labour laws, including the Fair Work Act. In theory, the bill is the outcome of a series of IR reform discussions the government launched during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time it heralded a…
A Women’s Agenda for COVID-Era Reconstruction
Women have been uniquely and disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession: losing more jobs and hours, shouldering a higher unpaid caring work burden, and undertaking essential and frontlines jobs. Without targeted action to rebuild women’s jobs and ease caring demands, decades of collective advances toward decent paid work could be eroded. The…
Australian Workplaces Unprepared for Rising Heat Stress in Light of Climate Change
Last Summer’s devastating Black Summer bushfires exposed the under-preparedness of Australian workplaces to the serious health and safety risks of heat stress for many workers across Australia.
Key findings:
Heat stress poses serious health and safety risks, especially for outdoor workers, those …