ABSTRACT
A recent article in the Australian Financial Review discussed the role of lawyers in Australia in the 1990s.2 Recording the views of many leading practitioners, the story reported that, on balance, it is no longer possible for lawyers simply to practise law. Rather, they must understand the business conducted by their clients and the policy behind the law they apply so as to be aware of the economic and social environment in which they are operating. I suppose that is why this paper was originally presented at a law school symposium which did not limit itself to a discussion of the law, but also dealt with the policy and trade issues that flow from the law. One of the most significant issues relevant to law, trade and policy is the field of industrial relations. Perhaps most important of all industrial relations issues is enterprise bargaining. Dealing, as it does, with the way in which terms and conditions of employment are settled, and what those terms and conditions of employment might be, enterprise bargaining not only influences the types of workplaces that exist and operate in Australia, but has an important impact on business generally and the lives of individual employees.
