Foodora was struggling in Australia even before regulators took an interest in its cost-minimisation measures. ArliftAtoz2205 / Shutterstock.com

Redefining workers in the platform economy: lessons from the Foodora bunfight

It is the Australian Tax Office, not the Fair Work Commission, making the big waves with the Foodora case and the future of the gig economy.
Currently, not one of the ridesharing platforms is turning a profit. Shutterstock

As yet another ridesharing platform launches in Australia, how does this all end?

If governments step in, this might be a war that customers, workers and the community can still win.
The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges that food-delivery platform Foodora underpaid three workers. Shutterstock

Why gig workers may be worse off after the Fair Work Ombudsman’s action against Foodora

That the Fair Work Ombudsman brought a case against Foodora suggests its workers are most likely to be classified as employees. This could dissuade other platforms from offering similar benefits.
Gig workers are characterised as contractors rather than employees, and are paid per delivery rather than per hour. That’s why certain visa restrictions don’t apply to them. Charles Platiau/Reuters

Being exploited and breaching your visa: the limited choices of the food delivery worker

Whether or not food delivery workers feel exploited is irrelevant, because they have few other options.
Gig workers saw their work as flexible but also with its risks. Reynaldo Vasconcelos/Newzulu/AAP

‘The way they manipulate people is really saddening’: study shows the trade‑offs in gig work

A study shows the reality of gig worker experiences is far more nuanced than enjoying flexible work or being exploited.
Batteries can cut carbon emissions, but mining the metals and other resources needed to make them can be a dirty business. Jon Seb Barber/Wikimedia Commons

The battery revolution is exciting, but remember they pollute too

The advent of battery storage heralds an even deeper embrace of electric cars and renewable energy. But amid the green tech revolution, we should be wary of creating new pollution problems.
If cars aren’t the way to go in manufacturing, maybe we should look to green technology. Flickr/Michael Caven

Can Kevin Rudd revive the green manufacturing dream?

Australia’s ailing car manufacturing industry will receive a A$200m funding boost. And all cars in Commonwealth fleets will have to be Australian-made. The policy was announced today by Kim Carr, Minister…

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