The Industrial Relations Taskforce is a taskforce established in December 2005 by the caucus of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 to examine the effects of the Government’s industrial relations changes (Work Choices) on individuals, families and communities. In particular, the terms of reference
http://www.brendanoconnor.com.au/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=265&op=page require the Taskforce to examine the adverse effects on women, young people and those in regional and rural areas and to identify specific examples of the abuse of the laws.

The members of the Taskforce are Brendan O'Connor (Chair), Chris Hayes

Chris Hayes (politician)

Christopher Patrick "Chris" Hayes , Australian Labor Party politician, was elected to the Australian House of Representatives on 19 March 2005 in a by-election for the Division of Werriwa, New South Wales, succeeding former party leader Mark Latham.Hayes was educated at De La Salle College,...

 (secretary), Bob McMullan

Bob McMullan

Robert Francis McMullan is an Australian former politician who represented the Australian Labor Party in both the Senate and the House of Representatives....

 (Deputy Chair), Sharon Grierson

Sharon Grierson

Sharon Joy Grierson , Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2001, representing the Division of Newcastle. She was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, and was educated at Newcastle Teachers College...

, Sharon Bird

Sharon Bird

Sharon Leah Bird is an Australian politician.She was elected to the Australian House of Representatives for the Division of Cunningham, New South Wales, at the October 2004 election...

, Jennie George

Jennie George

Jennie George , Australian politician, is a former Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from November 2001 to July 2010, representing the Division of Throsby, New South Wales.-Early life:...

, Steve Hutchins

Steve Hutchins

Stephen Patrick Hutchins , Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian Senate for the state of New South Wales since October 1998, representing the Australian Labor Party.Hutchins was born in Sydney...

, Kate Ellis

Kate Ellis

Katherine Margaret "Kate" Ellis, MP is an Australian politician, representing the federal division of Adelaide since 2004 and is currently the Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare and the Minister for the Status of Women in the Gillard Government.-Early life and career:Ellis was...

 and Carol Brown.

The Taskforce visited over 20 federal electorates and spoken with over 200 witnesses. In June 2006, the Taskforce released its interim report http://www.brendanoconnor.com.au/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=270&op=page, which has been distributed widely and received much coverage in the media.