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In 2004 and 2005 the West Australian Labor Government significantly amended the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 1981 (WA) (the Act). These amendments followed over a decade of shifting power plays and uncertainty for the many stakeholders in the system. The significance of these state-based reforms cannot be underestimated, providing a localised example of a broader contestation between the interests of private business and the shifting terrain of industrial citizenship. This article documents the last decade of workers compensation reforms within Western Australia and a summary of changes which ultimately took effect in November 2005. In keeping with the post-modern emphasis on context, this paper locates the Western Australian changes within a broader discussion of the shifting landscape of rights and entitlements engendered through neo-liberal discourse. In particular, as this paper explores, the changes to Western Australian workers compensation policy can be read as a reflection on the way employers, government and the insurance industry interpret and engage with the continuing realignment of worker entitlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital and community capacity have become key concepts in social policy responses to marginalised individuals and communities. Policy making has occurred in the context of heated debate about the roles of government and business institutions in strengthening community capacities. In this paper, we wilt explore theoretical positions about the role that these institutions play in building local social capital. We argue that the dominant conceptions of social capital in Australia fail to recognise the potential for non-local institutions to strengthen local community capacity. Drawing on a study of four geographically diverse communities we show that a substantial proportion of community members were disconnected from non-local government and business institutions. We conclude with some initial suggestions for extending the social capital discourse to recognise and build the role of non-local institutions in strengthening local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]