Course Title: Doctor of Philosophy in Government

Thesis Title: The Employers’ Voice: The Australian Chamber/Employer Movement’s Influence on Government policy in the post Federation Period since 1901

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Gwyn Singleton

Abstract

This thesis tests the proposition that the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and its antecedents that comprised the Australian Chamber/Employer Movement were influential in the rise and fall of the “Australian Settlement” during the period 1901-1993. In particular the study focuses on the principal economic framework of the Australian Settlement – a policy known as “New Protectionism”. This policy linked high levels of tariff protection with a heavily regulated centralised wage fixing system operated through Federal compulsory arbitration of industrial relations processes. While previous academic studies have explored aspects of this topic with respect to the Associated Chamber of Manufactures of Australia (ACMA) and the Australian Council of Employers’ Federations (ACEF) this is the first analysis that incorporates detailed research on the Australian Chamber of Commerce (ACC), which was established in 1901. ACCI is the successor organisation following the progressive amalgamations of the ACC; ACMA; and ACEF.

The thesis shows that while public choice theory principally explains the motivations of pressure group behaviour of the Movement on the two principal economic policy areas comprising the Australian Settlement, policy network theory assists in explaining the networks that the Movement used to influence policy, and the Advocacy Coalition Framework’s (ACF’s) focus on “learning’ and the role of new ideas and their dissemination through stakeholder groups provides some valuable explanatory power on how the Movement’s policy positions changed over time.

The theoretical value of ACF was also useful in explaining the interaction of interest groups and government decision-makers. Nonetheless the study suggests a critical aspect of the Movement’s communications with decision-makers was the close political links maintained with the conservative side of politics. ACF and policy network theory, more generally, would benefit from a more robust explanation of this type of interaction and the importance of contact at the individual level.

Short Bio:

Peter Hendy is a PhD (Government) candidate in the Faculty of Business and Government in the University of Canberra. He is a professional economist having initially attained a Bachelor of Economics (Honours First Class) from the University of Queensland and started his career as a cadet in the Commonwealth Treasury. He recently returned from working in the Middle East and is a former chief executive officer of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and at various times was chief of staff for the Leader of the Federal Opposition and various Cabinet Ministers. He is the author of over 100 articles, speeches and other publications and his book Captains of Industry was recently published by Melbourne University Press.