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Industrial relations reforms under scrutiny

27 July 2005

Monash alumnus and Australian Workers' Union national secretary Mr Bill Shorten has discussed the governance issues and challenges facing trade unions at a Monash-hosted forum.

From left: Associate Professor Vivek Chaudri, Mr Bill Shorten, Professor Julian Teicher and Dr Ken Coghill at the forum.

Mr Shorten told forum attendees that abolishing collective industrial rights and institutional workplace regulation would create a national crisis in confidence.

"Rarely has the regulation of industrial relations been as significant in national politics and consequential to the lives of millions of Australians as it is now," he said.

Monash Governance Research Unit co-director Dr Ken Coghill said the forum was well received.

"More than 30 people from a broad variety of areas attended," Dr Coghill said. "There were people from major businesses, people from the union movement and academics."

Mr Shorten said there was evidence that some employers could not be counted on to treat workers fairly and equitably in a free market situation.

He then discussed the Federal Government's industrial relations reform proposals, arguing the changes would tip the balance in favour of employers, leaving the workforce with weak bargaining powers.

The forum was jointly organised and sponsored by Monash University 's Australian Centre for the Research of Employment and Work and the Monash Governance Research Unit.

After graduating from Monash with a Bachelor of Arts in 1989 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1992, Mr Shorten was admitted as a practising solicitor. After four years as an organiser with the Victorian Branch of the AWU, he was elected as Victorian branch secretary and later national secretary.