Law Commons^™

Parliament And The Industrial Power, Andrew D. Frazer

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

The industrial power contained in section 51(xxxv) of the Australian Constitution gives the Federal Parliament power to make laws with respect to ‘conciliation and arbitration for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes extending beyond the limits of any one State.’ Throughout the history of the Commonwealth, this power has remained one of the most contentious and litigated clauses in the Constitution. Because of the constitutional limits on the manner in which national legislative power can be exercised in this area, the institutions and processes of the Federal system of conciliation and arbitration have remained a consistent focus of public …