Inside IR: The Australian Industrial Relations Podcast

Inside IR is a podcast series that delves into the industrial relations landscape in Australia.

Each episode arms human resources, industrial relations and legal professionals with the latest industrial relations thinking. It’s delivered in a straight talking, engaging and entertaining format, generally in 15-20 minute episodes, that will suit listening/watching on your daily commute.

We will keep you up to date with legislative reform, the latest case law developments and perspectives on industrial relations issues playing out in workplaces across the country.

LATEST EPISODE - Episode 10: Unravelling the IR landscape across five decades

In this episode Rohan Doyle speaks with industrial relations legend Russell Allen, a senior consultant in our Employment and Industrial Relations group and former partner. With a wealth of experience spanning 50 years at Herbert Smith Freehills, Russell shares with Rohan the changes we have seen in industrial relations over the last five decades, how the current IR landscape compares to that of the past, and what lessons can be applied to the new world of industrial relations post the Secure Jobs, Better Pay amendments.

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Episode 9: Bargaining preparation in the new world of IR

In this episode, partners Rohan Doyle and Tony Wood discuss bargaining dynamics arising from changes to union and employer leverage following the Secure Jobs, Better Pay reforms, and share practical suggestions for how employers should approach bargaining planning in this new world of IR.

Many employers will be focussed on securing enterprise agreements which minimise the potential perils of multi-employer bargaining or arbitration by the Fair Work Commission. How should employers prepare for these changes? What’s more important now? And what are some of the key preparatory steps that employers can take to enhance their bargaining outcomes? Rohan and Tony consider all of this and more in an enlightening conversation covering the priorities for pre-bargaining planning (how much and how long in advance is desirable?), the importance of securing employee trust and engagement, being ready for compulsory arbitration by the Commission, what unions do well and where employers can do better. This episode has lots of practical tips and insights, including for experienced IR practitioners.

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Episode 8: Intractable bargaining

In this episode, partners Rohan Doyle and Drew Pearson explore one of the most significant changes to enterprise bargaining in decades - the new intractable bargaining regime. Rohan and Drew reflect on how the regime will completely change the way employers approach enterprise bargaining, and discuss how the Fair Work Commission will go about arbitrating contested claims. They also share their tips on how employers can best prepare for bargaining under this new regime.

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Episode 7: The new world of multi-enterprise bargaining

In this episode we take a look at the new multi-enterprise bargaining regime and answer the big questions on Australian employers’ minds. Why is this one of the most significant changes to Australian industrial relations in decades? How will unions use it to force bigger and more equal salaries across industries? What are the risks that it presents to employers and unions? Why is (almost) every employer exposed? How can employers avoid being forced into the regime? And how should employers best prepare for its commencement in June 2023?

Rohan Doyle, and Nicholas Ogilvie share their insights on these important questions and draw out key strategies that employers should consider well ahead of commencement of the new world of multi-enterprise bargaining.

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Episode 6: Top 6 IR cases of 2022 (that you need to know, but might have missed)

In this episode we take a brief break from IR reform, and take a look at the top 6 IR cases of 2022 that IR and HR practitioners need to know, but might have missed. These decisions of the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Court will have significant implications for many employers. Rohan Doyle, Natalie Gaspar and Brad Popple break down the detail and draw out the key practical points which IR practitioners should be across.

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Episode 5: Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act 2022

In this episode we deep dive into the recently passed Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act, which is set to have a significant impact on the industrial relations environment in Australia. Rohan Doyle, Natalie Gaspar and Nicholas Ogilvie discuss how enterprise bargaining will change under these new laws, and the work that employers will need to do to best position themselves for this new bargaining environment.

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Episode 4: The enterprise agreement approval process

In this episode we again change pace from looking at industrial relations reform, and instead explore the practical problems employers are facing in getting enterprise agreements approved.

Wendy Fauvel joins Rohan Doyle and takes us through the top six issues we are seeing of late with enterprise agreement approval applications and the process more generally. They also highlight the importance of clarity in the drafting of enterprise agreements given the risk of payroll compliance issues. This will be an area to watch, as it may also be impacted by the impending Secure Jobs, Better Pay reforms.

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Episode 3: Current trends in enterprise bargaining

In this episode we take a break from industrial relations reform and instead share insights on the enterprise bargaining environment in Australia. Rohan Doyle and Anthony Wood discuss what employers are currently seeing at the bargaining table, including some interesting statistics on what is quite a unique bargaining environment.

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Episode 2: Jobs & Skills Summit, Part 2 – Same Job, Same Pay, limits on non-permanent labour, and enterprise bargaining reform

In our second episode of Inside IR, partners Rohan Doyle and Natalie Gaspar continue their breakdown of the action items arising from the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit. We look at the proposed Same Job, Same Pay reforms, proposals to limit the use of non-permanent labour, and proposals to increase the proportion of employees covered by enterprise agreements. We also provide an update on the status of enterprise agreement terminations and multi-enterprise bargaining.

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Episode 1: Jobs & Skills Summit, Part 1 – Multi-employer bargaining and termination of enterprise agreements

In our very first episode of Inside IR, partners Rohan Doyle and Natalie Gaspar begin their deep dive into the Federal Government's recent Jobs & Skills Summit. We look at some of the key areas of focus coming out of the Summit, namely the proposal to limit the ability of employers to terminate enterprise agreements during enterprise bargaining, and the potential for forced multi-employer bargaining and sector-wide industrial action campaigns. Rohan and Nat explore the practical impact these potential reforms might have on Australian workplaces and the issues to consider during the post-Summit consultation phase.

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