The Victorian Government commissioned ACIRRT, University of Sydney to prepare a report on statistical research on hours of work, especially extended hours of work, in Australia. Amongst other purposes, the material here has been prepared to assist the Victorian Government's preparations for the Extended Hours Test Case due to commence in late 2001. A number of primary and secondary data sources have been used throughout this report to highlight both historical trends and the current situation with regard to the practice and regulation of working time arrangements in Australia. This report builds on previous ACIRRT publications, particularly Australia at Work , Reforming working time: alternatives to unemployment, casualisation and excessive hours (for the Brotherhood of St Laurence) and most importantly, a report for the Queensland Government on Working Time Arrangements in their state.

Key Findings arising from the Report

• In analysing working time arrangements it is important to understand that there are two dynamics at play - those concerned with hours actually worked, and those concerned with the specifications of rights and entitlements linked to hours worked. Changes in both appear to be resulting in the emergence of new standard working time arrangements that have little to do with the classical wage earner model

• The emergence of these new working time regimes appears to be closely linked to forms of employment, especially 'non-standard' forms of employment.

• In Australia, the following working time arrangements have emerged: there is a high and rising proportion of jobs involving part-time and extended hours of work, there are high levels of unpaid overtime amongst wage and salary earners, amongst those working extended hours, there is concern about the hours worked.

• Enterprise agreements appear to be playing an important role in the recasting of working time standards. It is clear that working time arrangements are being dramatically recast through enterprise agreements. It is interesting that the changes involve both increased use of non-standard forms of employment (casuals, contractors and the like) as well as changes in hours of work for standard or permanent employees. This development is indicative of a more profound change to what is meant by standard employment and standard hours of work. The old way of thinking about standards is clearly changing and needs to be reconceptualised.