• Australia has the second longest working hours in the developed world - only South Koreans work longer average full-time hours, and in that country, unlike Australia, hours are decreasing.
• Australia has the fastest growing working hours in the OECD, with average weekly hours since 1982 increasing by 3.7 hours a week - equivalent to 550,000 full time jobs.
• The increase in average hours is accelerating, jumping by 48 minutes between 1998 and 2000.
• Australia has the highest rate of unpaid overtime in the developed world, with one-quarter of full time employees not paid for overtime averaging 2.7 hours a week each.
• From1985 to 2000, the proportion of employees working more than 45 hours a week rose from 17.8% to 26.1%, with those working more than 50 hours jumping from 10.2% to 17.4%.

Working Time Arrangements in Australia: A Statistical Overview, by ACIRRT:

• 31% of full time employees, or 1.8 million Australians, work more than 48 hours per week. Most of them (905,000) are non managerial workers - and 71% of these are non-professionals.
• 2.4 million Australians work more than 45 hours per week, 1.6 million work more than 50.
• Between 1981 and 2000, there was a 76% increase in the number of people working more than 45 hours each week , and a 94% jump in the number working 50 to 59 hours per week.

Fifty Families: What Unreasonable Hours do to Australians by Dr Barbara Pocock:

• Family life and wider social relationships are suffering because of a long hours culture.
• Suicide attempts, stress, depression and mood disorders are symptomatic of long hours.
• Many employees working long hours want to work less but have no control over the situation.
• Job insecurity, shortstaffing and professional dedication are common reasons for long hours.

Extended Working Hours in Australia: Counting the Costs, by Professor Drew Dawson:

• The overall cost of fatigue-related workplace incidents is estimated at $3 billion a year.
• Many organisations have directly benefited from short term productivity gains associated with extended hours of work, while passing the indirect costs onto the community and taxpayer.
• Excessive working hours are linked to increases in cardiac disease, infertility, high blood pressure, tobacco and alcohol consumption, mental illness and sleeping and eating disorders.
• Excessive working hours can harm long term productivity through reduced employee wellbeing, poor organisational commitment and bad health and safety outcomes.
• Many industries have reached or are approaching a point of diminishing returns from longer working hours, especially where hours already exceed 50 per week.