Opinion Articles

Canberra’s Bureaucratic Bubble Just Got Fluffier

When a body like Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) — a public-sector institution charged with grappling Australia’s economic malaise — declares its staff now get eight “wellbeing days” a year without needing a reason, you know you’ve left the realm of public service and wandered into courtier-class delusion. This gem emerged as part of the latest enterprise agreement signed off by the Fair Work Commission: staff earning up to about $101,800 get their usual 18-day

Trevor Whittington December 2, 2025

Opinion Articles

Buried Alive by the Pastoral Award

The Pastoral Award helpfully tells farmers that: “The average ordinary working hours for a farm and livestock hand will be fixed by agreement … but will not exceed an average of 38 hours per week over a 4-week period,” and then repeats the same rule in a different way: “The ordinary hours of work … will not exceed 152 hours in any consecutive period of 4 weeks.” The University Award contains its own classics, including

Trevor Whittington November 27, 2025