Department of Labour (Australia)

Department of Labour
Department overview
Formed19 December 1972[1]
Preceding Department
Dissolved12 June 1974[1]
Superseding Department
JurisdictionCommonwealth of Australia
Minister responsible
Department executive
Queensland State Archives 4197 Department of Labour and Industry display at the Queensland Industries Fair 1949
Queensland State Archives 4197 Department of Labour and Industry display at the Queensland Industries Fair 1949[2]

The Department of Labour was an Australian government department that existed between December 1972 and June 1974.[3] This department was created and operated under the Whitlam government, with Clyde Cameron appointed as minister. The Department of Labour was a catalyst for the increase in the national minimum wage and pushed for the equalising of pay rates between men and women.[4][5] During this period, Cameron pushed for paid maternity and annual leave.[6][7] They also worked to reduce the number of industrial disputes for the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission.[8] Many attribute the department's employment of wage indexation policies as a contributing factor to the 1975 economic recession.[9][10]

The Department was one of several new Departments established by the Whitlam government, a wide restructuring that revealed some of the new government's reforms.[11]

  1. ^ a b CA 1480: Department of Labour, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 9 February 2021
  2. ^ ands Department, Survey Office, Cartographic Branch, Photographic Section. (1949). Queensland State Archives 4197 Department of Labour and Industry display at the Queensland Industries Fair 1949 [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.orgview_image.php?q=Department_of_Labour_(Australia)&sq=&lang=&file=File:Queensland_State_Archives_4197_Department_of_Labour_and_Industry_display_at_the_Queensland_Industries_Fair_1949.png
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  8. ^ Kirby, M. K. (2004, October). Industrial conciliation and arbitration in Australia- a Centenary reflection. Conciliation and Arbitration Australia. https://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/former-justices/kirbyj/kirbyj_22oct04.html
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Colebatch, Tim (21 October 2014). "Sudden impact: the Whitlam government's legacy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  11. ^ National Archives of Australia, Gough Whitlam: In Office, National Archives of Australia, archived from the original on 19 April 2013