In recent decades, Australia has experienced some quite significant policy changes in a number of areas. Most significant has been changes in how governments carry out their policy responsibilities. For instance, long- standing areas of public service provision such as the Commonwealth Employment Service have been tendered out to community and business groups. Some others areas have been fully or partly privatised, including the partial sell-off of Telstra. This direction has been supported by the controversial Hilmer Report which has encouraged market rationales for the provision of public goods and services (Hilmer 1998). More recently, WorkChoices legislation continues the project to by-pass or dismantle long-standing industrial relations institutions, involving a decisive shift in power to employers.