H.R. Nicholls is dedicated to advocating for sensible industrial relations reform to accelerate Australia’s productivity growth and enhance the prosperity of all Australians.
It aims to:
promote discussion about the operation of industrial relations in Australia including the system of determining wages and other conditions of employment;
promote the rule of law with respect to employers and employee organisations alike;
promote reform of the current wage-fixing system; and
support the necessity for labour relations to be conducted in such a way as to promote economic development in Australia.
Our ambition is to transform Australia’s labour market into a job-creating and wealth-generating engine of growth and prosperity.
Join HR NICHOLLS
Membership to H.R. Nicholls is open to anyone who supports our aims.
As a financial member, you will support and participate in our policy advocacy efforts, enjoy discounted admission to our National Conference and other events.
Our Latest Work:
The Wage Lottery
HR Nicholls has counted what Australia's modern award system looks like, and the numbers are staggering.
The 122 modern awards now contain 205,816 separate rates of pay and 1,900 employee classifications: a different pay scale for every 16 workers employed under an award.
Since 2009 they have grown by 3,602 pages to 8,739 and been amended 7,568 times, more than once every single day.
The conclusion is unavoidable: this is one of the most complex minimum wage systems in the world. A tradesperson could fall under any of 87 awards, a labourer any of 82, and which one applies depends not on the work performed but on the employer's industry code.
New Zealand runs on three minimum rates. Australia runs on 205,816.
Every single pay run is a wager the employer has picked the right award, classification, rate and day. That is not a safety net, it is a lottery.
Download the report here.
Watch
Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia, delivers a powerful address at the H.R. Nicholls Society’s 2024 National Conference, challenging industry associations to step up, stand firm, and fight for their members.
Former Productivity Commissioner and e61 CEO Michael Brennan delves into Australia’s productivity crisis and the lingering influence of the 1907 Harvester Judgment at the Society’s 2024 National Conference
The Societ'y’s President Frank Parry KC on The Perspectives on Closing Loopholes Vodcast by Clayton Utz with partners, Shae McCartney and Matt Kelleher.
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