About the event

The event commenced with short remarks by Andrew Stewart, the John Bray Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide, and Tess Hardy, Co-Director of the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law. This was followed by a presentation by Natalie James, the former Fair Work Ombudsman and the current Chair of the Inquiry into the Victorian On-demand Workforce. The final concluding remarks were given by Troy Henderson, from The Australia Institute Centre for Future Work.

The book is available as an ebook for free, or in paperback form for $60. Order your copy now from University of Adelaide Press.

About the book

The persistence of weak wages growth in Australia, at a time when the state of the economy might suggest much better outcomes for workers, has baffled policy-makers.

Andrew Stewart, Jim Stanford and Tess Hardy have drawn together expert analysts from business, universities, think-tanks, community organisations and trade unions to answer four pressing questions: What is the wages crisis? Why is it happening? Why does it matter? And what should we do about it?

Written in non-technical terms for a general audience, the essays in this book offer many insights into one of Australia's most pressing economic and social issues. They highlight the key point that wage stagnation is a problem with multiple causes and dimensions. It will not fix itself, but will need decisive policy action. In their conclusion, the editors set out their own views of what that might be.