Employment Relations in the Australian Public Sector

The public sector has long been a significant part of the Australian political economy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 from six separate British colonies and now comprises one federal and eight state or territory-based governments. Although the Australian constitution established a division of powers between the commonwealth or federal and state governments, each has a series of administrative departments covering areas such as education, health and transport, which provide public services. There are numerous statutory authorities and government business enterprises, which provide services such as electricity supply, railways, broadcasting and telecommunications. There are also important judicial bodies, including courts and tribunals at both state and federal levels. Finally, there is a layer of government at local or municipal level responsible for a range of services. Together, these comprise the public sector which has been defined as “the institutional framework of government administration, public commercial activities and state-run utilities” (Davis et al., 1993). Hence, the Australian public sector includes employees in a wide range of work and employment settings.