People & associates

Ken Phillips

Portrait of Ken Phillips

Director, Work Reform Unit

Ken Phillips is the director of the Work Reform Unit at the Insitute of Public Affairs. Ken is an independent contractor operating as his own business, as a researcher, commentator, lobbyist and strategist on labour and workplace issues. Amongst his many activities, Ken is a published authority on independent contractor issues, directs research on industrial relations and trade practices issues, the morality of labour reform, work safety and related issues. He promotes the management concept of 'markets in the firm'. He works with business client on reform strategies. Through his many articles Ken is known for approaching labour issues from unexpected perspectives.

Ken's book Independence and the Death of Employment will be published by Connor Court in October 2008.

Contact details

Related publications

Submission to the Wilcox Review of Australian construction industry reforms

SUBMISSION | Ken Phillips

The ABCC was set up in 2005 as a specialist construction industry enforcement body. It was a key part of the recommendations of the Cole Royal Commission (2002-03) which found wide scale and systemic lawlessness in the construction sector across...

The Cost of Constructing the Commonwealth Games Village

SUBMISSION | Ken Phillips

This report forms part of the IPA's submission to the Wilcox Review into the ABCC. Part 1 is available here. This report reveals that contractual arrangements put in place by the Government of Victoria inflated the cost of the Commonwealth Games...

Submission to the National Review of Occupational Health and Safety Laws

SUBMISSION | Ken Phillips

How the government and unions help maintain Australia's skills shortage

IPA REVIEW ARTICLE | Ken Phillips

Submission to the review into Comcare

SUBMISSION | Ken Phillips

Related news

Employers could be lost in dark legal tunnels

Work Reform Unit | | Ken Phillips
Australian Financial Review 16th December, 2008

Substantial commentary on the Fair Work Bill is now on the public record. Lines of division have emerged, expressed by key players in the public...

Unions, not workers, the real winners from IR changes

Work Reform Unit | | Ken Phillips
ABC Online 12th December, 2008

The Australian union movement is probably the most aggressive in the developed world. It moral table-thumps, insisting its position, and only its...

Victoria must position itself to dodge NSW fallout

Work Reform Unit | | Ken Phillips
The Age 10th December, 2008

Anyone who was living in Victoria in the early 1990s understands the pain of a severe economic recession. Its severity was largely the result of...

New laws change the way the workplace works

Work Reform Unit | | Ken Phillips
The Age 26th November, 2008

Forward with Fairness has finally arrived. At 613 pages it will take some time to digest the implications. First impressions reveal something new...

Machine culture rotten to core

Work Reform Unit | | Ken Phillips
The Australian 21st November, 2008

Is the NSW Government totally dysfunctional or is it just suffering from a series of disconnected unfortunate events? The list of events is long...