Australia

As in other developed economies, Labour Law in Australia has traditionally been premised on the assumption that 'contracts of indefinite duration are... the general form of employment relationship between employers and workers'. In principle, that is still the case in 2008. As will appear presently, however, this assumption no longer reflects the reality of the labour market. There has, of course, always been some recourse to forms of engagement other than the 'typical' contract of indefinite duration, but over the last 30 years the use of 'atypical' arrangements has grown to such an extent that the supposedly typical contract of indefinite duration is rapidly becoming 'atypical'.