Beating the Bush Blues

Contributors

Ray Evans has been Executive Officer at WMC Resources since 1982. He has been President of the H R Nicholls Society since 1989, and was awarded the Tasman Medal in 1996 for contributions to public debate.

The Hon Tony Abbott was elected to the House of Representatives for Warringah, NSW, at a by-election held in 1994 and has held the seat since then. From March 1996 to October 1998 Tony was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Education, Training & Youth Affairs and was appointed Minister for Employment Services in October 1998. He was a leading campaigner for the monarchist cause in the run-up to the 8 November 1999 referendum. A former journalist he still writes articles for the broadsheet press.

The Hon Philip Davis MP has been the elected member for Gippsland Province, Legislative Council of Victoria since 1992. From 1992-96 Philip was a member of the All Party Parliamentary Economic Development Committee; from 1996-99 he was Parliamentary Secretary, Natural Resources and is currently Shadow Minister, Natural Resources & Energy. Before being elected to Parliament, Philip had worked as a jackaroo at Jerilderie, Glenmaggie & Holbrook; as a Livestock Overseer and Farm Manager for Great Gippsland Farms; as a process worker at Esso Australia and as a self employed farmer. Philip's farming interest was woolgrowing but is now beef cattle.

Ken Phillips is a workplace reform practitioner with a specialist knowledge of the commercial application of the Odco arrangements. In addition, he runs a work placement programme for unemployed Asians in Melbourne. Ken writes extensively on "employment" issues with a focus on buttressing theory against practice. He provides consultancy services to government and private businesses on workplace engagement methods. Ken has been a primary teacher; a TAFE lecturer; a company secretary for a chain of butcher shops; he has run his own chain of retail shops; he has been a paid union official and has acted for business groups in dealing with government.

Stuart Wood was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1993. Prior to admission, he was an associate of Justice Gray of the Federal Court of Australia. Stuart practiced as a solicitor in the employee relations section of Freehill Hollingdale & Page before being called to the bar in 1995. He has a specialist practice in employment and industrial law and has principally acted for large corporations, including the Patrick's group of companies in the waterfront dispute.

Bob Day is Managing Director of Home Australia Pty Ltd, one of Australia's leading homebuilding companies. Home Australia owns some of the housing industry's best known brand names including Homestead Award Winning Homes in SA and Collier Homes in WA. Bob is a National Director (Vice President) of the Housing Industry Association and is a Past-President of the SA Division. He is Chairman of the Oz Homes Foundation's Housing the Homeless Council. Bob is also a member of the National Selection Advisory Committee for the Work for the Dole Programme.