By Jude Elton and others at the Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies

This report analyses qualitative findings about the impact of WorkChoices on women workers most of whom are on minimum wages.

It finds that:

"The overall picture is very consistent across the six regions where we undertook interviews, with significant negative outcomes in relation to employment security, the level and predictability of pay and hours, overall earnings and employee voice and say. Experience in Western Australia, with its very tight labour market, is in some ways distinctive with outcomes less harsh, it would seem, especially where employees could find alternative employment. However, even here, women in low paid jobs have been negatively affected in various ways by WorkChoices and face ongoing issues around pay equity, the security of hours and work and family issues."

Download the full report: Women and WorkChoices: impacts on the low pay sector (PDF file).