Contemporary contestations over working time: should health weigh in?

In the last 30 years, the demand for economic competitiveness has driven the growth in flexible employment conditions, with little consideration of the impacts on the nation’s health. Using mixed methods, the research tests a new theory that when governments deregulate labour markets they destabilise cultural practices, with potential health and well-being consequences. It also determines whether and how the health implications of flexible work practices are considered in recent reviews of the Fair Work Act and the Modern Award Review Process. The research fills a policy vacuum in relation to the health impacts of the temporalities of working life, and will contribute to understanding time as both a cultural and economic resource.