Expert Author

Fiona Macdonald

The Centre for Future Work is pleased to work with a team of Associates: distinguished policy thinkers, who work voluntarily with us to advance our research agenda, contribute to projects, prepare commentary on economic and labour market developments, and related tasks.

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Fiona Macdonald

Acting Director, Centre for Future Work

Dr Fiona Macdonald is Policy Director, Industrial and Social with the Centre for Future Work. Her PhD in Political Science is from the University of Queensland. She also holds a Master of Social Science.

Previously Fiona worked as an industrial relations academic at RMIT University in Melbourne and at the University of South Australia and she is currently an Adjunct Principal Research Fellow in the College of Business and Law at RMIT. She has a background in research in the community and vocational education and training sectors and has worked with trade unions over many years. Fiona has written extensively on women, work and industrial relations, including on social care employment, insecure work, wage theft, gig work and contracting, equal pay, collective bargaining and low-paid workers. In 2021, her book Individualising Risk: Paid Care Work in the New Gig Economy was published by Palgrave Macmillan.

@DrFionaMac

Research by Fiona Macdonald

Precarity and Job Instability on the Frontlines of NDIS Support Work

The national roll-out of the NDIS holds the prospect of a significant enhancement in both the resources allocated to disability

Budget Analysis 2022-23

The Commonwealth Government has tabled its budget for the 2022-23 financial year. As the nation emerges from two years of

Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Work and Care

Current work and care arrangements in Australia contribute to economic and social disadvantage for carers, the vast majority of whom

The October 2022-23 Commonwealth Budget: A Good Start… But Rocky Times Ahead

The new Albanese Labor government has tabled a revised budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, revising revenue and spending forecasts

Collective Bargaining and Wage Growth in Australia

Deal on IR Reforms Sets Stage for Faster Wage Growth Restoring Collective Bargaining Coverage Would Boost Wage Growth: Research Report

Inclusive and Sustainable Employment for Jobseekers Experiencing Disadvantage

This report provides an overview of workplace and job-related factors found to act as barriers to sustainable and inclusive employment

Commonwealth Budget 2023-24

The Commonwealth government’s 2023-24 budget reveals a progressive government seeking to help lower paid workers and those struggling to pay

Unacceptable Risks

Workplace Law Reform Must Limit Cancer of ‘Gig Work’ in Care Economy: Research The gigification of care is creating insecure

The Case for Investing in Public Schools

Report Reveals True Potential of Fully Funded Public Schools Education has long been recognised as a vital determinant of both

Going Backwards

Deteriorating Disability Worker Pay, Conditions Undermining NDIS The disability support workforce is central to the effectiveness and sustainability of the

Submission to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023

Experts from the Centre for Future Work recently made a submission to the Senate committee studying the “Closing Loopholes” bill,

Short Changed

Employers Steal More than 280 Hours from Workers Each Year: Go Home on Time Day Report 2023 This year marks

Mid-Term Review of Albanese Government’s Labour Policy Reforms

A review of the Albanese government’s labour and industrial relations reforms at the mid-point of its term in office concludes

Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee on the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (More Support for Working Families) Bill 2023

This joint submission by the Centre for Future Work and the Nordic Policy Centre argues for immediate further reform to

Professionalising the Aged Care Workforce

Aged care reforms fall short on quality, safety This paper presents the case for an aged care worker registration and

Submission to the Fair Work Commission Modern Award Review 2023-2024, Work and Care

The Fair Work Commission’s Review of Modern Awards 2023-24 is considering the impact of workplace relations settings on work and

Polling – Right to Disconnect

Most Coalition voters back right to disconnect Survey respondents were asked if they would support or oppose the federal government

Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training Inquiry into the Digital Transformation of Workplaces

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work and the jobs we do. AI innovations in workplaces can have

Taking up the Right to Disconnect? Unsatisfactory Working Hours and Unpaid Overtime

This year marks the sixteenth annual Go Home on Time Day (GHOTD), an initiative of the Centre for Future Work