Commission Members - Other Activities

Overseas

Justice Giudice travelled to Great Britain in January 2000 to visit a number of industrial tribunals. During the visit the Judge met with the President of the Employment Tribunals Service, Judge Prophet, the Chairman of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Sir John Hougham CBE and several members of the Low Pay Commission. Justice Giudice also held discussions on case management issues with Mr Ian Jones, the Chief Executive of the Employment Tribunals Service.

Vice President Ross presented a paper entitled “Balancing Work and Family Responsibilities an Australian Perspective” at the International Industrial Relations Association 12th World Congress which was held in Tokyo from 29 May to 2 June 2000. The theme of the Congress was “Global Integration and Challenges for Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management in the Twenty-First Century”. Commissioners Smith and Hoffman also attended.

Justice Boulton has been assisting with a number of International Labour Organisation (ILO) projects in Indonesia and Cambodia. He was a joint author of an ILO publication entitled “Demystifying the Core Conventions of the ILO through Social Dialogue: The Indonesian Experience” (ILO, Jakarta, 1999) which details the work done by the ILO during 1998-99 in supporting developments in Indonesia towards the greater recognition of human rights and the introduction of improved laws and practices in the labour field. Justice Boulton presented a paper on “Globalisation and New Labour Laws” at a National Seminar on Globalisation and Industrial Relations convened by the Indonesian Department of Manpower in Jakarta (August 1999) and has been involved in human rights training and the development of a new system of labour courts in Cambodia.

Senior Deputy President Polites attended the Industrial Relations Research Association Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, in January. Whilst in the United States he discussed case management issues with officials of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB) chairman Mr John Truesdale and other NLRB judges and officials. He also visited the Department of Labor in Washington DC to discuss Asian regional developments in industrial relations.

Senior Deputy President Watson travelled to Washington, New York, Toronto, Boston, London and Paris for meetings with various industrial relations agencies and organisations including the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Labor Relations Board and the American Arbitration Association in the United States, the Low Pay Commission and Employment Tribunals Service in the United Kingdom and officials of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.