Australia's new labour reforms strengthen employees

Significance

Many of the changes were part of Labor’s election campaign in May, and others followed the government’s job summit in September, but last-minute changes involved multi-employer bargaining. The reforms provide greater employee control over workplace conditions without reducing limits on industrial action.

Impacts

• The new reforms do not address structural flaws in the economy that are continuing to hamper employment growth.
• Although the reforms create a pathway towards higher wages, most employees will not see benefits for some time.
• The reforms could impact the traditional retail model that uses a floating pool of workers often hired on casual employment terms.