John Lloyd

Bureaucrats Immersed In Canberra Bubble Out Of Touch With Nation
3 June 2019

Bureaucrats Immersed In Canberra Bubble Out Of Touch With Nation

Last month’s federal election result throws up a worrying anomaly. The ACT electorates diverge markedly from the nation. In the ACT, the electors embrace the ALP big time. In the Canberra-based Australian Public Service, one group is under-represented: people who vote for the Coalition government. Federal bureaucrats apply an intense focus to diversity and inclusion. It is the subject of
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When Billy Met Sally
30 May 2019

When Billy Met Sally

This article by John Lloyd first appeared in the April 2019 edition of the IPA Review. ACTU Secretary Sally McManus told the ALP National Conference on 18 December 2018 that the trade union movement “was the early warning system for this nation”. She went on: “We are sounding the alarm now. We see the unfairness; we see the fair go
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We Must Keep Law-Breaking CFMEU On A Short Leash
8 May 2019

We Must Keep Law-Breaking CFMEU On A Short Leash

The survival of the Australian Building and Construction Commission has become a customary element of federal election campaigns. The ABCC was established in 2005, abolished in 2012, became the trigger for the 2016 double-dissolution election and was re-established that year. The ALP plans to abolish it if it wins the May 18 election. Perhaps many are ambivalent about the role
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Report Into The Victorian On-Demand Workforce
27 March 2019

Report Into The Victorian On-Demand Workforce

The IPA’s Submission to Inquiry into the Victorian on-demand workforce The Inquiry’s terms of reference are very broad ranging. However, the issue being examined according to the Foreword in the Inquiry’s Background Paper involves “only a tiny proportion of those working in the labour market.” The Inquiry’s terms of reference and background paper presume that ondemand work should attract more
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The Myth Of Our Stagnant Wages
12 March 2019

The Myth Of Our Stagnant Wages

The ACTU has claimed Australia is facing an “incomes recession”. Secretary Sally McManus says working people “are ready to take action to restore our living standards”. She plans worker protests before the federal election. Economic forecasters are puzzle­d by the behaviour of wages. We are approaching full employment. Bosses and recruitment firms complain about labour shortages. The economy continues to
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Subdued Wages – Missing The Point
9 March 2019

Subdued Wages – Missing The Point

The ACTU has claimed Australia is facing an “incomes recession.”  Ms McManus, ACTU Secretary says that working people “are ready to take action to restore our living standards.” She plans worker protests before the federal election.  Economic forecasters are puzzled by the behaviour of wages.  We are approaching full employment.  Bosses and recruitment firms complain about labour shortages.  The economy
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Out Of Control
10 October 2012

Out Of Control

This article from the October 2012 edition of the IPA Review is by Director of the Work Reform and Productivity Unit at the IPA, John Lloyd. The lax governance of Australian trade unions has come into sharp focus over recent months. Allegations about financial mismanagement and poor governance concerning a number of trade unions have been reported. The affairs of
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