Aaron Lane
Aaron completed his undergraduate studies at Deakin University, completing a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in economics. He completed a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice with the College of Law, which led to his admission to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2012. He also holds a Graduate Diploma of Theology and a Master of Arts – where he wrote a minor thesis applying moral theology to public policy – from the University of Divinity, graduating as Vice-Chancellor’s Scholar.
Follow him on Twitter: @amlane_au
26 November 2019
Christian Porter’s Defamation Reform Would Be A Catastrophic Mistake
Attorney-General Christian Porter wants social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to be legally liable for defamatory comments made by their users. Right now, the common law can distinguish between the legal liability of active publishers of information (like newspapers and broadcasters) and the passive platform operators that allow users to publish information themselves. Courts decide where this distinction is
1 June 2018
Fair Work Commission Rejects ACTU’S Living Wage
“Today’s decision from the Fair Work Commission rubbishes the Australian Council of Trade Union’s call for a ‘living wage’,” said Aaron Lane, Legal Fellow at free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. “By ‘living wage’, the ACTU means a massive hike in the minimum wage. The Fair Work Commission today rejected that approach, saying that increases of the
14 February 2018
Employment and Wages in the Western Australian Public Sector
Our latest research brief reports on the trends of the size, cost and wages of the Western Australian public service using statistical measures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Western Australian Public Sector Commission. A copy of the PRB can be read below or downloaded here.
30 January 2018
Inquiry Into The Future Of Work And Workers In Australia
Inquiry into the future of work and workers in Australia We refer to the above inquiry, and provide a submission to the Senate Select Committee on the Future of Work and Workers (the Committee) on behalf of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). There is no doubt that technological changes present challenges for the modern workforce as it integrates advances
19 December 2017
Five Questions On The Size And Cost Of The Commonwealth Public Sector
Our new research brief askes five questions on the size and cost of the Commonwealth Public Sector. Recent data shows that public sector employee numbers are declining, but the public sector salary and wage bill continues to increase – and public sector wage rises are outpacing those prevailing in the private sector. A copy of the report can be read
18 December 2017
A Platform to Work: The Sharing Economy
This article appeared in the December 2017 IPA Review: An increasing number of Australians are turning to sharing economy platforms to work independently. Airtasker’s (a popular sharing economy platform) 2017 survey on the ‘Future of Work’ reported that 10 per cent of respondents earned income from sharing economy platforms, and 58 percent would consider earning income from a freelancing platform
24 August 2017
High Penalty Rates Keep Young People Out of Work
“These jobs are so integral to people getting their start in the workforce.” High penalty rates keep young people out of work. The IPA’s Aaron Lane spoke to a Senate Committee on the Fair Work Amendment: Read our full submission here: https://ipa.org.au/research-areas/submission-inquiry-penalty-rates
18 July 2017
Submission: Inquiry Into Penalty Rates
Recent IPA research shows that penalty rates were introduced in order to deter weekend work. Overtime, the justification of penalty rates has shifted to being a compensatory measure. As preferences and circumstances have changed over time, the need for additional compensation for weekend and public holiday work has also changed. On this basis, the recent decision of the Fair Work
10 July 2017
Penalising Work – A Historical Account of Penalty Rates in Australia
Penalty rates have been a fixture of Australian industrial relations regimes since the late 1800s. With federation, a series of decisions by various state and federal wage-setting bodies began, culminating in the first ‘national’ penalty rate decision in 1947. These early decisions indicate that penalty rates were imposed not as a compensatory measure for workers for performing weekend work, but
6 June 2017
Another Year, Another Hike In The Minimum Wage
“Another year, another hike in the minimum wage,” said Aaron Lane, legal fellow at the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. “Minimum wage decisions are becoming all too predictable. Every year the employer organisations, such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, make a low-ball offer – this year, an increase of $8.10 per week. Every
