Dr Michael Rawling has more than 15 years’ experience researching and teaching labour law. He has published widely on his main research interests which include the scope of labour law, labour law enforcement issues and democracy at work. A key focus of his research has been how to regulate business models (such as supply chains and gig economy arrangements) based on precarious work and deployed to evade employment law. 

Michael has previously advised unions, workers, employers and government on labour law. He has particularly been consulted by government, the public service and Members of Parliament on regulating the transport industry. He has been a Chief Investigator on three grants funded by the Australian Research Council two of which examined labour regulation in the textile clothing and footwear (TCF), road transport and commercial cleaning industries. Michael has appeared in the Fair Work Commission and Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal as an expert witness, and has been a consultant to the Sectoral Policies Department, International Labour Office, International Labour Organization (ILO) regarding best practices in road transport industry safety regulation.  He won the UTS Law Flare Excellence in Research Impact and Engagement Award in November 2023.

Michael is a co-author of two books, Regulating Gig Work (Routledge, 2024)(with Joellen Riley) and Beyond Employment: The Legal Regulation of Work Relationships (Federation Press, 2012)(with Richard Johnstone et al). His doctoral thesis (University of Sydney, 2010) examined the regulation of supply chains to protect workers.

Prior to joining UTS he was a lecturer at the Australian National University College of Law. Before joining the academy, Dr Rawling practised as a solicitor.

Michael was co-convenor and a founding member of the Business Outsourcing and Restructuring Regulatory Research Network (BORRRN) 2009-2016; co-convenor of the UTS Law Migration and Labour Law cluster (2022-2024) and Secretary of the Australian Labour Law Association (ALLA)(2023-2025). He is currently a Director of Training, Education, Audit, Compliance and Health Organisation (TEACHO) Ltd; the Faculty Mid-Career Research (MCR) Network Co-ordinator and member of the ALLA national committee.