Serial S276 - The Journal of Industrial Relations

The inaugural meeting of the Industrial Relations Society of Australia (now ALERA) was held in Sydney on 14 May 1958. It was the culmination of several years of activity by Kingsley Laffer from the University of Sydney who established the first course of study in industrial relations in the Department of Economics in 1956. Kingsley was interested in establishing a national body which would bring together academics, employers, trade unions, government and legal practitioners with a common interest in promoting the field of industrial relations. One of the first initiatives of the fledging Society was the creation of the Journal of Industrial Relations, the first issue of which was published in April 1959.

ALERA was formed as an independent, non-partisan association which encourages research, discussion and debate on a wide range of issues affecting employee relationships and was the first organisation of its type to be formed in Australia. ALERA's objective is to organise and foster discussion, research, education and publication within the field of workplace relations. ALERA is affiliated with the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA).