Peter Rochfort - Director
Peter Rochfort is the Director and co-founder of Rochfort, Associates. His early life was spent in Grafton, New South Wales. He attended the Scots College, Sydney, and The University of Sydney prior to undertaking an external graduate course in Law through the University of Queensland (St. Lucia).
Peter worked as a Patrol Officer and Assistant District Officer in Papua New Guinea coincidentally with his studying law. In 1963, he was an official Territory representative at the United Nations Rule of Law Seminar, where he delivered a paper on “The Rule of Law in a Developing Society”.
In 1973 he was appointed to the position of Executive Director of the Australian Road Transport Federation (ARTF). In his 12 years at the helm of ARTF, Peter was involved in major industrial relations developments and initiatives of the time and then advocated the position of the road transport industry before the National Wage Bench on such issues as the 38 hour week, as well as national wage cases.
In February 1984, Peter established Rochfort, Associates as an Industrial Relations Consultancy based in Sydney. Two of the major client groups since the creation of the company are the freight forwarding and customs clearance industry and the child care industry, as well as small and larger clients across a range of industries, including national as well as state-based corporations and industry associations. Peter was the freight forwarding and customs clearance industry representative before Full Bench Hearings of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission hearing submission relating to “award modernisation” in 2009.
Rochfort, Associates merged with First IR in 2002 to form IR Australia Pty Ltd which ceased to formally operate at the end of 2006. He now continues to operate Rochfort, Associates in association with other professionals and experts in their particular fields.
Peter's experience over more than 38 years has given him an in-depth knowledge and understanding of industrial relations in Australia. He has particular expertise in the New South Wales IR system including the contract determination issues which apply for independent road transport operators. He is registered as an industrial agent in South Australia and Western Australia in which industrial jurisdictions it is a requirement that representatives be formally registered.