The state of unions and union research in Australia

Australian unions have played a pivotal role in protecting and improving the wages and working conditions of Australia's workers. Since the 1990s, however, the union movement, like its counterpart in others parts of the world, has experienced a number of challenges which have contributed to membership decline. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the current state of unionism in Australia, the factors contributing to trade union decline and where scholarly debate and research has been directed over the past decade. In doing so, it seeks to identify common research areas where research has been carried out and those areas where further research is needed.