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• Labour Market

Labour markets tend to be among the most regulated markets in the economy. While these regulations were meant to protect workers, they are often counterproductive by putting obstacles in the way to job creation. Finding the right balance between these two goals remains a difficult task.

Making work, not the dole, the easier option
Jeremy SammutAugust 29, 2014

Catch a suburban train to the city before 6.30 am on a weekday and the...

Unemployment crackdown: one size doesn’t fit all
Simon CowanAugust 1, 2014ABC The Drum

Andrew Forrest has proposed a raft of reforms to our welfare, training and education systems...

Unemployment – one size fits some
Simon CowanAugust 1, 2014

This week we have seen several ambitious welfare reform plans. First, the federal government attracted...

Youth woes are structural
Alexander PhilipatosJuly 11, 2014

Much has been made of lacklustre employment levels for our youth. Last month, for example,...

Does fair paid parental leave mean taxpayers cop the bill?
Matthew TaylorJuly 11, 2014

The reaction to the CIS’ Fairer Paid Parental Leave this week, a report that proposes...

Fairer Paid Parental Leave
Matthew TaylorJuly 7, 2014T30.11

Australia spends just under $1.4 billion (2012–13) on statutory Paid Parental Leave (PPL) to provide...

Poor Laws (1): The Unfair Dismissal Laws and Long-term Unemployment
Kayoko TsumoriAugust 20, 2002IA26

Joblessness is a major cause of poverty. Poverty will be alleviated significantly by engaging the...

Trading Phobias: Governments, NGOs and Globalisation
October 3, 2000OP75

We live in an era of unprecedented material prosperity, and yet the post-war multilateral trading...

Why Small Business Is Not Hiring: Regulatory Impediments to Small Business Growth
Jason SoonFebruary 10, 1999IA6

Small business makes an important contribution to the Australian economy, accounting for 42 percent of...

Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value: Moving Toward, Or Away From, Wage Justice for Women?
Helen HughesJune 26, 1998IA2

Equal pay for equal work initiatives in the 1970s gave Australia a lead in closing...

Working Youth: Tackling Australian Youth Unemployment
Helen HughesMay 1, 1996PM34

Youth unemployment is a major social and economic problem. The official statistics put youth unemployment...

Free to Work. The liberalisation of New Zealand’s labour market
Wolfgang KasperJanuary 1, 1996PM32

In 1902 New Zealand’s first Minister of Labour, Pember Reeves, described the Australasian states as...

Why the war on wokeness is actually killing conservatives in Australia
Simon CowanNovember 29, 2025CANBERRA TIMES
Australian conservatives — however much they might be impressed by the way MAGA has fought...
Confessions of an Industrial Relations Club reporter
Michael StutchburyNovember 21, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
A half-century on from stagflation, outdated workplace rules and union monopolies remain the biggest barrier...
At this rate, the only outcome from this summit will be making us poorer
Simon CowanAugust 9, 2025CANBERRA TIMES

As we approach the productivity summit to end all summits, the various players have begun...

Here’s why forcing workers back to the office won’t have the desired effect
Simon CowanMarch 22, 2025CANBERRA TIMES

Working from home is sneakily becoming one of the biggest emerging fault-lines in our society....

There are two ways to lift our living standards. Coasting isn’t one of them
Simon CowanAugust 26, 2024CANBERRA TIMES
News this week that the iron ore price has fallen to the lowest level in...
Back to the Future: Workplace Reform Takes Centre Stage Again.
Andrew BlythJune 5, 2024SPECTATOR

The industrial relations scare campaign has begun, as we count down to the next federal...

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Submission to the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service
Simon Cowan, Eugenie JosephAugust 1, 2018
Productivity Commission Inquiry Into Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services: Submission in response to issues paper
Trisha JhaJuly 1, 2016CIS Submission

The Human Services Inquiry is ‘examining policy options in the human services sector that incorporate...

Submission to the National Commission of Audit
Alexander Philipatos, Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Jeremy Sammut, Robert Carling, Simon Cowan, Stephen Kirchner, Trisha JhaApril 1, 2014T30.08

The federal government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) was established in 2013 to review the performance...

Submission to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee
Andrew BakerSeptember 10, 2012

Submission to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee

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Submission to Remote Participation and Employment Servicing Arrangements
Helen Hughes, Mark Hughes, Sara HudsonOctober 11, 2011

The Discussion Paper’s focus on participation and employment in remote Indigenous communities is welcome because...

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