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WorkChoices, ImageChoices and the marketing of new industrial relations legislation

Author

Listed:
  • Janis Bailey

    (Griffith University, Australia, j.bailey@griffith.edu.au)

  • Keith Townsend

    (Griffith University, Australia, k.townsend@griffith.edu.au)

  • Edwina Luck

    (Queensland University of Technology, Australia, e.luck@qut.edu.au)

Abstract

This article takes a critical discourse approach to one aspect of the Australian WorkChoices industrial relations legislation: the government's major advertisement published in national newspapers in late 2005 and released simultaneously as a 16-page booklet.This strategic move was the initial stage of one of the largest `information' campaigns ever mounted by an Australian government, costing more than $AUD137 million. This article analyse the semiotic (visual and graphic) elements of the advertisement to uncover what these elements contribute to the message, particularly through their construction of both an image of the legislation and a portrayal of the Australian worker.We argue for the need to fuse approaches from critical discourse studies and social semiotics to deepen understanding of industrial relations phenomena such as the `hard sell' to win the hearts and minds of citizens regarding unpopular new legislation.

Suggested Citation

  • Janis Bailey & Keith Townsend & Edwina Luck, 2009. "WorkChoices, ImageChoices and the marketing of new industrial relations legislation," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 23(2), pages 285-304, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:23:y:2009:i:2:p:285-304
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017009102859
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. McQuarrie, Edward F & Mick, David Glen, 1999. "Visual Rhetoric in Advertising: Text-Interpretive, Experimental, and Reader-Response Analyses," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 26(1), pages 37-54, June.
    5. Paul Smith & Gary Morton, 2006. "Nine Years of New Labour: Neoliberalism and Workers’ Rights," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(3), pages 401-420, September.
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