From Queensland’s inception as a self-governing colony in December 1859 the issue of labour relations has preoccupied governments and shaped the experiences of its working men and women. However, despite the often turbulent nature of labour relations in Queensland there has, prior to this book, been no attempt to provide an overview of the system as a whole. \nThis important addition to Queensland’s sesquicentenary celebrations redresses this failure, looking at the diverse range of experiences that, together, made up a unique system of labour relations – including those of employers, women workers, indigenous workers, unions, the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, labour law, industrial disputation, the workings of health and safety system and life in regional areas. \nIt is argued that, overall, Queensland’s system of industrial regulation was central to its economic and social development. Despite past emphasis on the large-scale strikes that periodically raked the state this book finds that consensus normally prevailed.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Peter Henneken Introduction Bradley Bowden, Simon Blackwood, Cath Rafferty and Cameron Allen No Improvement without Standardisation: The Origins of Queensland's Industrial Relations System, 1857-1916 Bradley Bowden "The Combination of Masters": The Role of Employer Organisations in Shaping the Queensland Industrial Relations System Michael Barry A Peculiar History: Queensland Unions, 1916-2009 Bradley Bowden Independent Judgement: the History of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, 1916-2009 Bradley Bowden and Cath Rafferty Evolution of the System: Industrial Relations Policy and Legislation, 1859-2009 Doug Hunt From Catch Up to Innovation: A History of Occupational Health and Safety Regulation in Queensland Richard Johnstone A Role for Government in Setting Minimum Employment Standards? Simon Blackwood and Cath Rafferty Missing in Action: Industrial Relations and Aboriginal Labour Ros Kidd Women's Pay and Participation in the Queensland Workforce Glenda Strachan The Politics of an Apolitical Public Service Linda Colley Strikes: Limits to Industrial Action? Simon Blackwood and Doug Hunt "The Best Deal for Workers": Rockhampton Unions and the Queensland Arbitration System to 1957 Barbara Webster Queensland Labour Relations 1859-2009: conflict, Control and Regulation Margaret Gardner Appendices Secretaries and Ministers for the Department in Charge of Labour and Employment Matters 1886-2009 Presidents of the Industrial Court of Queensland and the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission 1917-2009 Justices and Judges who have served on the Industrial Court of Queensland and its Predecessors 1912-2009 Industrial Court of Queensland and the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission List of Persons on Various Tribunals Heads of Queensland Labour Relations Departments 1886-2009 Employer Organisations Officially Registered with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission Employee Organisations Officially Registered with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission Unions Affiliated with the Queensland Council of Unions and its Predecessors 1922-2008 Queensland Council of Unions and its Predecessors Secretaries 1885 to 2008 Queensland Council of Unions and its Predecessors Presidents 1885 to 2008 Australian Workers Union Queensland Branch Secretaries Australian Workers Union Queensland Branch Presidents Chief Industrial Inspectors Chief Inspectors for Machinery and Scaffolding Chief Inspectors (or equivalent) Chief Medical Officers of Industrial Medicine and Occupational Health Australian Federal Minimum Wage, 1907 to 2008 (number, percent) Queensland Basic Wage 1921 to 1983 (number, percent) Queensland Minimum Wage 1970 to 2008 (number, percent) Industrial Disputation, Working Days Lost per 1,000 Employees in States and Australia; 1913-2008 (number) Employees Involved in Industrial Conflict per 10,000 Workers in Australia's States Calculated on a Yearly Basis (number) Trade Union Density, Queensland and Australia, 1911-2008 (percent) Labour Force by Sex, Australia and Queensland 1891-2006 (number) Labour Force by Sex, Australia and Queensland 1891-2006 (percent) Queensland Labour Force engaged in Particular Industries 1891-1933 (percent) Australian Labour Force engaged in Particular Industries 1891-1933 (percent) Queensland Labour Force engaged in Particular Industries 1947-1981 (percent) Australian Labour Force engaged in Particular Industries 1947-1981 (percent) Australian Labour Force engaged in Particular Industries 1986-2006 (percent) Queensland Labour Force engaged in Particular Industries 1986-2006 (percent) History of the Minimum Employment Conditions under Queensland, 1908 - 2009 Queensland Acts Concerned with the Wages, Conditions, Health and Safety of Workers The Industrial Inspectors