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David Peetz

Professor of Employment Relations, Griffith University

David Peetz is Professor of Employment Relations at Griffith University, where he has worked for over a decade. He previously worked at the Australian National University and in the then Commonwealth Department of Industrial Relations, spending over five years in its Senior Executive Service. He has been a consultant for the International Labour Organisation in Thailand, Malaysia and China, and undertaken work for unions, employers and governments of both political persuasions. He is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Yes, government influences wages – but not just in the way you might think

Apr 12, 2025 09:55 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Can the government actually make a difference to the wages Australians earn? A lot of attention always falls on the governments submission to the Fair Work Commissions annual wage review, which this year called for a real...

Chance for genuine industrial relations reform thrown under the omnibus

Dec 17, 2020 11:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

When Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the formation of five working groups of employers, unions and government officials in June 2020, he signalled an unexpected twist to industrial relations reform. Some...

What if we measured the thing that matters most: "carbon productivity"

Oct 26, 2019 08:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology Economy

Ask any economist a question, and you will usually get the answer: productivity. The winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics, Paul Krugman, set the standard in 1994: Productivity isnt everything, but, in the...

There's an obvious reason wages aren't growing, but you won't hear it from Treasury or the Reserve Bank

Sep 10, 2019 20:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

Wages growth for Australian workers is among the worst in the industrialised world. For more than a third of workers on individual contracts, wages arent growing at all. This is odd, given Australia is in a record 28th...

What the stoush between the federal government and the CFMMEU is really about (spoiler: there's an election coming)

Sep 24, 2018 06:30 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Since Malcolm Turnbull was ousted as prime minister, we have seen a renewed focus by the federal government on targeting union officials. The latest, and also most enduring, target is the Construction, Forestry,...

Finance drives everything — including your insecurity at work

Aug 14, 2018 04:23 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Theres a common link between the many things that have promoted insecurity at work: the growth of franchising; labour hire; contracting out; spin-off firms; outsourcing; global supply chains; the gig economy; and so on....

The government is belatedly backing the penalty rates cut it always wanted

Mar 27, 2017 09:11 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

Its impossible for the government to substantially ease the hardship for workers from the Fair Work Commissions decision to cut some penalty rates as the governments submission into its implementation illustrates. Nor can...

Economy

New Zealand Unemployment and Inflation Debate Intensifies Ahead of 2026 Election

New Zealands economic outlook has become increasingly complicated as rising inflation and elevated unemployment place the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) under growing pressure ahead of the closely contested 2026...

Asian Stocks Slide, Oil Prices Climb as Middle East Tensions and Inflation Fears Shake Markets in 2026

Asian stock markets declined on Wednesday while oil prices advanced as escalating tensions in the Middle East fueled investor concerns and weakened confidence across global financial markets. The renewed conflict has...

Japan Producer Prices Surge in May, Strengthening Expectations of BOJ Rate Hike

Japans producer prices increased more than expected in May, highlighting ongoing inflationary pressures driven by rising energy and raw material import costs. Fresh data released by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) showed that the...

US Stock Futures Slip as New Iran Strikes Weigh on Market Sentiment Ahead of Inflation Data

U.S. stock index futures moved lower on Tuesday evening as renewed military action involving Iran dampened investor confidence and raised fresh concerns about geopolitical stability. Market participants are also closely...

BOJ Rate Hike Expectations Rise as Weak Yen and Strong U.S. Jobs Data Increase Pressure

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is facing growing pressure to accelerate interest rate hikes as the Japanese yen remains weak and expectations increase for a more hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve policy. Strong U.S. labor market data...

Politics

Randy Villegas Advances to Face David Valadao in Key California Congressional Race

Democratic challenger Randy Villegas, an educator and community advocate, is projected to advance to the November general election following Californias open primary election held on Tuesday. According to U.S. media...

US Voters Prioritize Party Loyalty Over Candidate Controversies, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests that most American voters are unlikely to abandon their preferred political partys candidate, even when serious controversies surround them. The findings highlight the growing political...

Trump Nears Decision on Permanent U.S. Intelligence Chief as FISA Renewal Faces Senate Resistance

President Donald Trump is reportedly close to selecting a permanent Director of National Intelligence (DNI), according to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, as lawmakers debate the future of a key U.S. surveillance law set...

Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra Advance to California Governor Election After Primary Results

Republican political commentator Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra have officially advanced to Californias November 3, 2026, gubernatorial election after emerging as the top two candidates in the states June 2 open...

LePage Wins GOP Nomination in Key Maine House Race Ahead of 2026 Election

Former Maine Governor Paul LePage has secured the Republican nomination for Maines 2nd Congressional District, setting the stage for a closely watched showdown in the 2026 U.S. House election. The race is expected to draw...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SpaceX IPO Demand Surges Past $250 Billion Ahead of Historic Market Debut

SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk, is attracting unprecedented investor interest ahead of what could become the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history. According to a Reuters report, investor...

Trump Administration Defends Anthropic AI Restrictions in Ongoing Federal Lawsuit

The Trump administration has defended its decision to restrict the use of Anthropics artificial intelligence products, arguing in a new court filing that the federal government acted lawfully after the AI company resisted...

OpenAI Files Confidential IPO Draft as AI Giants Race Toward Public Markets

OpenAI has confidentially submitted a draft S-1 registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), taking a major step toward a potential initial public offering (IPO). The move positions the...

Apple Unveils Enhanced Apple Intelligence and Next-Generation Siri at WWDC 2026

Apple has introduced the latest version of its Apple Intelligence platform at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026, signaling a stronger push into the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence market. The...

Qualcomm Stock Gains After Jensen Huang Endorsement

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) shares moved higher in after-hours trading on Monday, rising approximately 2% after NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang publicly praised the semiconductor company and encouraged investors to...