John Lloyd


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

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

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

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

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

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

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