Abstract
<em>The Liberal National Party (‘LNP’) won 78 out of a possible 89 seats in Queensland’s 2012 state election. Facing a budget blowout, the new Government soon used its control of the state’s unicameral parliament to implement a contentious public sector reform agenda. The LNP’s amendments to Queensland’s employment laws struck at the very heart of many of the accepted ‘ground rules’ of industrial relations. Perhaps most signif-icantly, the Government used its parliamentary majority to remove job security commit-ments given to public servants, paving the way for the loss of thousands of jobs. This paper sets out the key industrial relations reforms adopted by the LNP. The authors dis-cuss the Government’s rationale for the changes, and the reaction from Queensland’s trade union movement. The article concludes with some general observations about the changes adopted during the LNP’s term of Government; a period which will undoubtedly be remembered as a controversial part of Queensland’s industrial relations history.</em>
Highlights
The Liberal National Party (‘LNP’) won 78 out of a possible 89 seats in Queensland’s 2012 state election
For the purposes of this paper it is important to note the following three key characteristics of the industrial relations landscape inherited by the Liberal National Party (‘LNP’) in March 2012; a system dominated by the public sector, a focus on collective bargaining and the arbitration of bargaining disputes
These concessions were reflected in the passing of the Hospital and Health Boards Amendment Act 2014 (Qld) on 3 April 2014 which, amongst other matters, ensured the Queensland Health director-general cannot unilaterally change doctors’ contracts unless the change is beneficial to the employee, and provides doctors with access to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) should they wish to challenge the fairness of a termination of their employment.[159]
Summary
A comprehensive examination of Queensland’s industrial relations system can be found in Bowden et al.[1] for the purposes of this paper it is important to note the following three key characteristics of the industrial relations landscape inherited by the Liberal National Party (‘LNP’) in March 2012; a system dominated by the public sector, a focus on collective bargaining and the arbitration of bargaining disputes
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