Industrial relations regulation in Australia is too prescriptive and complex, and disempowers both employers and individual workers trying to strengthen the post-pandemic jobs market.

The system of regulation is over-engineered, and many of the provisions serve merely to protect trade unions and employer associations while doing nothing to promote the interests of workers.

The economic shocks of COVID-19 and the associated government responses have rendered aspects of our industrial relations regulations unworkable and/or perverse.

There have been some temporary sensible changes — mainly related to hours of work, location of work, assignment of duties and the taking of leave — made to some...