Emeritus Professor Joseph Ezra Isaac: pioneer scholar and practitioner in industrial relations

This research note celebrates Joe Isaac's 90th year by outlining some of the highlights in his extensive career and exploring the interface between his roles as a prominent scholar and an arbitrator. Joe Isaac has been one of the most influential contributors to both academic scholarship and public policy in Australian industrial relations during the past 60 years. In the words of Keith Hancock "despite [Joe's] modesty and unassuming demeanour, he has been among the most effective and influential of Australian thinkers." In fact, along with Hancock, his former student, Joe Isaac is one of a select number of academics who have succeeded in influencing both theory and practice in the fields of labour economics and industrial relations not only in Australia but also at the international level.