Shonga, if you were an economist, what would you do? Take the high ground, and point out that there are too many variables for an accurate prediction, or take the money from people who want your "expertise" to support their political agenda?

My point was the ability to predict results. They can't.

Why is the budget surplus always so wildly different from the forecast? Because no economist can take all the factors into account.

The same applies to industrial legislation. Take ten economists, you will get ten different opinions on the potential impact of any given law. The difference is... who is paying them to come up with the forecast? They've all got families to feed, after all.

Well, the ones who don't live under rocks have.

The vast majority of companies have very simple objectives, and will employ people who make a positive contribution to their business. While industrial laws might have some effect on the number of HR people you hire to handle reporting requirements, it is extremely low on most managers' list of "what do I worry about today".

Certainly, in a small business it is almost entirely invisible.

frankly, gen y is labouring under only one impediment - their grandparents/parents don't want to share. the objective of the new ir laws is to maintain that relationship.

nor are gen y getting treated uniquely. plenty of gen x'ers are and have been excluded or treated badly by the folks too. the barriers to entry only get worse as one get older. it is interesting to read a privileged younger person talk about the exclusion of his peers.

i agree with much of de brennan's argument. i believe it applies beyond the so-called gen y's. i don't think the current economic policies are targetted at them specifically.

the only place in the labour market where employees consistently have any power is amongst the older employees with qualifications and experience. or those with certain trades or qualifications in high demand. the great masses of employees have no real bargaining power. certainly not individually.