It is often claimed that the introduction of the Fair Work Act has turned the industrial relations clock back to the pre-deregulation days of high disputation, low productivity, and restrictive work practices. But has Australia really lapsed back to the ‘bad old days’ of the Industrial Relations Club? In this Meet the Researcher lecture, CIS Policy Analyst Alexander Philipatos will separate fact from fiction in the debate about IR reform and discuss where exactly the Fair Work Act fits into the 20-year story of workplace change.