In Australia, this model was encouraged through a comprehensive mechanism of centralised wage fixing and an industrial arbitration system.
This system was particularly reliant on closed shops, and the ability of unions to obtain preference of employment for their members.
Both of these strategies were aimed at improving the delivery of services to members, which was seen as necessary to halt membership declines during this period.
The period following the 1987 congress saw significant shifts in the Australian industrial relations landscape including: These changes made it increasingly difficult to retain union membership numbers and density by applying a purely servicing model.
This meant that the bargaining strength of the respective industrial parties became a primary determinant of the outcome, and their ability to organise became crucial.