Follow us


Herbert Smith Freehills' Partners Anthony Wood and Steve Bell, and Senior Associate Natalie Gaspar launch the Employment and Workplace Relations In Australia 2017 guide by outlining the 7 top trends for this year.

The Guide to Employment and Workplace Relations in Australia Guide 2017 

The Employment and Workplace Relations in Australia Guide 2017 (Guide) offers in-house counsel, HR, IR and safety professionals with a comprehensive, straightforward and up-to-date overview of all areas of employment, industrial and safety laws, both federal and state. The Guide is also a valuable for executives and managers who need or want to learn more about the law and other arrangements underpinning the employment of their people.

The 7 top employment trends

  1. Focus on ‘sustainable’ terms in enterprise bargaining
  2. Unions reinventing themselves to stay relevant 
  3. Unions using health and safety as an industrial lever
  4. Focus on workplace crisis management
  5. Increased scrutiny around workplace bullying and harassment 
  6. Employers will respond to new whistleblower laws
  7. More active workplace regulators: Fair Work Ombudsman and Australian Building and Construction Commission

Key contacts

Anthony Wood photo

Anthony Wood

Partner, Melbourne

Anthony Wood
Steve Bell photo

Steve Bell

Managing Partner - Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety (Australia, Asia), Melbourne

Steve Bell

Stay in the know

We’ll send you the latest insights and briefings tailored to your needs

Australia Brisbane Perth Melbourne Sydney Workplace Health and Safety Anthony Wood Steve Bell