BILL DRAFTING – AUSTRALIA

Firms face $75k cost for bargaining

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 23-Nov-22

The Department of Employment & Workplace Relations estimates that it will cost small businesses about $14,638 to engage in multi-employer bargaining. Medium businesses and large companies in turn will face costs of $75,148 and $94,311 respectively, according to the department’s regulatory impact statement. The federal government has based these estimates on an average consultant cost of $175 an hour. However, Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Andrew McKellar contends that businesses could expect to pay market rates of about $400 an hour. Meanwhile, Hancock Prospecting, has warned that multi-employer bargaining could threaten thousands of mining jobs and billions of dollars in royalty revenue.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD

More exemptions to salvage IR bill

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 23-Nov-22

The Senate inquiry into the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill has recommended increasing the threshold for small businesses to be exempted from multi-employer bargaining to 20 employees, compared with 15 under the existing provisions of the bill. Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has indicated that the government is willing to negotiate a higher threshold in order to secure the bill’s passage before parliament rises for the year. However, Burke notes that lifting the threshold too much would undo the central aim of the bill, which is to increase the wages of low-paid workers. Independent senator David Pocock has continued to push for a vote on the multi-employer bargaining provisions of the bill to be delayed until next year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Labor to boost whistleblower protections in last sitting fortnight of parliamentary year

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Original article by Paul Karp
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 16-Nov-22

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will address the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference in Sydney on Wednesday. He will reveal plans to pursue amendments to the Public Interest Disclosure Act which aim to provide increased protection for whistleblowers. Cabinet has approved the draft legislation, which will be introduced to parliament before it rises for the year. The federal government will pursue "priority amendments" to the Act, ahead of a fuller review in 2023. It wants stronger whistleblower protections to be in place before the National Anti-Corruption Commission becomes operational in mid-2023.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Qantas on IR: flight routes will die

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Original article by Simon Benson, Sarah Ison, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 16-Nov-22

Qantas is the latest company to express concerns about the federal government’s Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill. The national carrier told the Senate committee that is reviewing the bill that multi-employer bargaining would effectively become industry-wide agreements that would reverse Labor’s economic reforms of the 1980s. Qantas also said the proposed industrial relations reforms would give too much power to trade unions and the Fair Work Commission. Qantas added that the reforms would increase the cost of air travel and reduce demand for flights, which could result in less profitable routes and services being discontinued. Clubs Australia in turn has warned that multi-employer bargaining could force many small clubs to close.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, CLUBS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND INCORPORATED

Right to strike law risks jobs

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman, Phillip Coorey, Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 28-Oct-22

The federal government tabled its Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill in parliament on Thursday. A Senate inquiry into the proposed legislation will report on 17 November, after a push by independent senator David Pocock to delay it until February was rejected. Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has indicated that he is open to making changes to the multi-­employer bargaining provisions of the bill, which will allow unions to undertake industry-wide industrial action for the first time. Business leaders have expressed concern about the proposed reforms; Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says they will result in more strikes and fewer jobs, while Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable warns that expanding multi-employer bargaining will "unleash industrial chaos" on the mining sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Labor scraps pay secrecy clauses

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Oct-22

Federal cabinet has approved the Secure Jobs Better Pay bill, which will be put before parliament on 27 October. Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says that helping to close the gender pay gap is a key objective of the bill. Amongst other things, the legislation will ban the use of pay secrecy clauses in employment contracts, while gender equity will be become a central objective of the Fair Work Act. The bill will also broaden the scope of multi-employer bargaining, simplify the ‘better-off-overall test’ and abolish the Australian Building & Construction Commission. A second tranche of industrial reforms in 2023 will include increased workplace rights for gig economy workers and ‘same job, same pay’ rules for labour hire workers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Climate change bill set to pass

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Aug-22

The federal government’s climate bill may be put to a vote in the House of ­Representatives as early as ­Wednesday. The bill to enshrine a 43 per cent per cent emissions reduction target in law is expected to be passed after the Greens and teal independents pushed for amendments that are likely to be accepted by Labor. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has indicated that the Coalition will review its emissions reduction targets ahead of the next election. The Senate is likely to vote on the climate bill in September, with the government requiring the support of the Greens and at least one crossbencher.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Haines warns crossbench cuts could delay ICAC

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Original article by Michael Pelly
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 27-Jun-22

The former Coalition government allocated two advisers and two assistant advisers to crossbench MPs, on top of their four electoral staff. However, the Albanese government is planning to reduce the number of advisers that crossbench MPs get allocated from four to one. Helen Haines, who is the Independent MP for the Victorian seat of Indi, has warned that the proposal to reduce the number of advisers that crossbench MPs are allocated could lead to a delay in the passage of legislation to establish a federal anti-corruption commission.

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Morrison’s controversial religious bill passes the lower house

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Original article by Lisa Visentin, Latika Bourke
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 10-Feb-22

The federal government’s religious discrimination bill will proceed to the Senate, after it was passed by the lower house at 4am on Thursday following more than 10 hours of debate. However, five Liberal MPs crossed the floor to vote with Labor in blocking changes to the Sex Discrimination Act that would have made it lawful to expel transgender students from religious schools. Several Liberal backbenchers also supported Labor’s proposed amendment to the ‘statement of belief’ provisions of the religious discrimination bill; the amendment was defeated with the deciding vote of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Andrew Wallace.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM warns: unite or lose poll

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Original article by Greg Brown, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 9-Feb-22

Parliament is expected to vote on the federal government’s revised religious discrimination bill and amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act within days, after a Coalition partyroom meeting endorsed the reforms on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged Coalition MPs to back the reforms, warning that the government faces the prospect of losing the upcoming election if it does present a united front. However, some Liberal MPs have expressed reservations about the religious discrimination bill, and Bass MP Bridget Archer says she cannot support the bill in its current form.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA