Australia has been one of the world’s leading proponents of privatisation. One of the key arguments about privatisation is that it would end the inefficient state monopoly of public services and reduce the power of public sector trade unions. Within a relatively short period of the privatisation of the energy and transport sectors in Victoria Australia, there was a reconsolidation of ownership which raised new challenges for the trade unions. After this phase, the main trade unions in these two sectors took steps to meet these new circumstances to renew and rebuild their structures and strengthen their capacity to challenge the new private oligopolies. Thus, paradoxically some unions were able to open up space to renew and rebuild in the post–privatisation world.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	privatisation, trade unions, union renewal, public transport
Research Division:	Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Research Group:	Business and Management
Research Field:	Industrial Relations
Objective Division:	Law, Politics and Community Services
Objective Group:	Work and Institutional Development
Objective Field:	Employment Patterns and Change
UTAS Author:	Barton, R (Dr Ruth Barton)
ID Code:	136162
Year Published:	2007
Deposited By:	Management
Deposited On:	2019-12-03
Last Modified:	2020-05-05
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