STAFF PROFILE
Dr Fiona Macdonald
Position:
Senior Research Fellow
College / Portfolio:
Management
School / Department:
Human Resource Mngmnt and Industrial Rel.
Phone:
99251534
Email:
fiona.macdonald@rmit.edu.au
Campus:
Melbourne City Campus
Contact me about:
Research supervision
Dr Fiona Macdonald is a Vice-Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow in the School of Management. Fiona's research focuses on three interconnected themes: the changing nature of work and employment relationships; regulating for decent work and gender equality; and the political economy of work. The empirical focus of Fiona's current research on the social care workforce also brings in her long-standing interest in social policy and welfare systems. In 2016 Fiona was awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award to examine the workforce challenges of Australia's new National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Her research has strong policy relevance and she works closely with industry as well as with national and international networks of employment and care scholars. In 2017 she received the RMIT Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research impact – Early Career Researcher. Fiona is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the recently established International Journal of Care and Caring.
Research interests
- Employment regulation, gender equality and decent work
- Informality in employment and the labour market
- The political economy of marketised care systems
- Care work and working lives
- PhD (Political Science), University of Queensland
- Master of Social Science (Social Policy), RMIT University
- Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology, RMIT University
- Bachelor of Behavioural Science, La Trobe University
- Senior Research Fellow, RMIT University (Oct 2014 – present).
- Research Fellow, Decent Work and Gender Equality, Centre for Work + Life, University of South Australia (Sept 2012-Sept 2014).
- Panel Member, Victorian State Services Authority Panel of Grievance Review & Workplace Investigations Officers and Independent Chair, Tripartite Work Review Panels (consultancy) (2007-2012).
- Research consultant & research associate, (p/t project appointments), School of Political Science and International Studies, University of Queensland: Centre for Applied Social Research, RMIT University; and Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights, Deakin University (2006-2007).
- Organisational Consultant and Senior Researcher URCOT (Union Research Centre on Organisations and Technology) (2005-2006).
- Executive Director, Equity Research Centre, Victorian industry advisory body on equity and diversity in employment, education and training (2001-2004).
- Research & Policy Manager (Research Officer until 1997), Brotherhood of St Laurence (1994-2004).
- Baines, D.,Macdonald, F.,Stanford, J. (2020). Zero-sum social policy: going gig and the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme In: Studies in Political Economy, 101, 17 - 34
- Charlesworth, S.,Macdonald, F.,Clarke, J. (2020). Scoping Study on Gender-Based Violence in Individualised Support & Care Services in Victoria In: Worksafe Victoria Melbourne
- Campbell, I.,Macdonald, F.,Charlesworth, S. (2019). On-demand Work in Australia In: Zero Hours and On-call Work in Anglo-Saxon Countries, Springer, Singapore
- Macdonald, F. (2019). Where Secure Employment meets Clients' Needs In: Greenacres Disability Services Sydney, Australia
- Snell, D.,Gekara, V.,Macdonald, F. (2019). The Disability Skills Portfolio Scoping Project Final Report In: National Disability Services Melbourne, Australia
- Macdonald, F.,Charlesworth, S.,Brigden, C. (2018). Access to Collective Bargaining for Low Paid Workers In: Collective Bargaining Under the Fair Work Act, The Federation Press, Annadale, Australia
- Macdonald, F.,Charlesworth, S. (2018). Failing to live up to the promise: the politics of equal pay in 'new' workplace and industrial relations institutions In: Australian Journal of Political Science, 53, 446 - 462
- Coles, A.,Macdonald, F.,Delaney, A. (2018). Gender and informality at work - theoretical provocations: an introduction to the special issue on gender and informality In: Labour and Industry, 28, 93 - 98
- Macdonald, F.,Pegg, M. (2018). Contracting out community services, marketisation and wages In: The Wages Crisis in Australia. What it is and what to do about it., University of Adelaide Press, Adelaide, Australia
- Kyle, L.,Macdonald, F.,Bentham, E. (2018). Chapter Four: Workforce of the Future (in Community Services of the Future: An Evidence Review) In: Victorian Council of Social Services and Victorian Department of Health and Human Services Melbourne, Australia
Note: Supervision projects since 2004
4 PhD Current Supervisions
Gender and work, Employment regulation, Industrial relations, The changing organisation of work, Forms of employment, Work and welfare, Precarious employment.
- The Disability Skills Portfolio Scoping Project. Funded by: National Disability Services - Innovative Workforce Fund 2017 from (2018 to 2018)
- Changing the gender mix of financial planners: what are the drivers and barriers for women entering and succeeding in financial planning?. Funded by: Financial Planning Association Australia - research grant 2017 from (2018 to 2018)
- NDIS Workforce Research. Funded by: Health Services Union of Australia Grant 2017 from (2017 to 2017)
- Paid work in cash-for-care: Australia in comparative perspective. Funded by: ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) 2016 from (2016 to 2019)