2002-2003 introduction

This is the thirteenth survey of salaries paid to workers in Australia's library and information services sector. Like its predecessors, the survey is arranged by type of service, by state or territory and alphabetically by institution.

In recent years, we have reported on major changes taking place in the nation's wage-fixing procedures and in the laws underpinning them. That trend continues and is accelerating. The broad range of employment conditions is now distinctly wider and more complex. The concept of 'typical conditions' has declined still further. Increasingly, library workers are being forced to confront the reality of individualised employment arrangements.

The rates of pay shown here cover a wide range of organisations in which industrial awards, while continuing to operate for some, are frequently being expanded or replaced by local agreements negotiated at the enterprise level. They should be regarded as general indicators of pay standards across the sector. Many employees will in fact be subject to localised arrangements differing slightly from these indicative levels.

These and many other labour market developments over recent years have fuelled strong demand for assistance from ALIA's industrial service and this can be expected to continue. In recognition of changes in the market for library and information specialists, the last edition of Salary scales included, for the first time, sections dealing with non-award and casual work. We have again followed this course in the current version.

ALIA invites all of its members both individual and institutional to avail themselves of the Association's National Office industrial advisory service when determining working conditions and establishing employment contracts.

June 2002

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