EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATIONS – AUSTRALIA

ALP divides to conquer on IR

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 22-Nov-23

The federal government has struck a deal with the Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association to exempt service contractors from the labour-hire provisions of the Closing Loopholes Bill. It follows week of negotiations between Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke and AREEA, whose CEO Steve Knott has been a vocal critic of the proposed reforms. The amendments to the bill mean that the Fair Work Commission will not be able to make labour hire pay orders if a business is providing a service to a client rather than supplying labour. The government has previously agreed to changes to the bill following talks with the Australian Hotels Association and gig economy platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, AUSTRALIAN HOTELS ASSOCIATION

Burke to get extraordinary IR powers

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Sep-23

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Andrew McKellar says the Closing Loopholes Bill contains at least 32 clauses that will allow Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke to give himself new regulatory powers. He says this is an "extraordinary" number, and argues that it will heighten uncertainty about the real cost of the proposed industrial relations reforms to business. Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn in turn says the ministerial powers will create greater uncertainty for independent contractors and businesses when entering commercial arrangements. Amongst other things, Burke will have broad powers to issue regulation that change the definitions for labour hire rules and gig economy workers’ pay.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY,MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED,AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Business backs Lowe on productivity

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Jul-23

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox is amongst the business leaders who have expressed support for comments made by Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe regarding productivity. Lowe told the G20 meeting on Monday that low productivity worldwide is a bigger challenge than inflation, and that there is no political will to implement measures to address the problem. Willox says there has been a lack of real policy focus on productivity agenda for more than 15 years. Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott in turn contends that industrial relations policy right is the key to addressing the nation’s productivity challenge.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Business cuts a deal on workplace rules

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 15-Jun-23

The Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association still opposes the proposed ‘same job, same pay’ laws for labour hire workers. However, CEO Steve Knott says AREEA believes that the federal government will legislate the changes in some form, regardless of the widespread opposition. AREEA will therefore shift its focus to influencing how the policy is implemented. In contrast, AREEA had funded its own advertising campaign against the multi-employer bargaining provisions in the government’s first tranche of industrial relations reforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION

A plan for unions, not nation

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Mar-23

Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association CEO Steve Knott has backed claims by former Productivity Commission chair Gary Banks that Australia is going "backwards" on industrial relations. Knott contends that the federal government’s changes to industrial relations laws are all about trying to revive falling union membership numbers, rather than what is good for Australia. Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke has dismissed Banks’ criticisms, suggesting that he is making the case for how "the nation can be better off if people have less secure jobs on lower wages", with Burke saying that was not just his view.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Bosses angry at big stick threat

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-Dec-22

The Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association alleges that unions are seeking to delay negotiating new workplace agreements until the multi-employer bargaining provisions of the Secure Jobs, Better Pay legislation take effect in mid-2023. AREEA CEO Steve Knott says union tactics such as stalling negotiations or encouraging employees to vote down proposed enterprise agreements are expected to become commonplace in many sectors of the economy in the first half of 2023. However, the Electrical Trades Union’s acting national secretary Michael Wright says AREEA should be working with unions on meeting the challenges that workers and employers currently face.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION

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

Lower corporate taxes vital to growth

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Original article by Tom Dusevic
The Australian – Page: 2 : 30-Jun-21

The Business Council of Australia has released a discussion paper which calls for an overhaul of the nation’s tax system. The BCA contends that tax revenue is too heavily skewed toward the largest companies and the three per cent of individuals who pay the highest personal income tax, and the tax system must evolve in line with a changing economy. BCA CEO Jennifer Westacott says the 30 per cent company tax rate in particular needs to be reviewed, given that the OECD and the Group of Seven have proposed a global minimum corporate tax rate of just 15 per cent.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, GROUP OF SEVEN (G-7)

Bosses and unions unite to urge senator’s vote against seriously flawed super reform bill

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 7 : 7-Jun-21

The ACTU and the Australian Industry Group have joined forces to call for the ‘Your Super, Your Future’ legislation to be rejected by the Senate. They contend that the bill still has some major flaws; it recently passed the lower house following the removal of provisions which allow the federal government to veto investments made by superannuation funds that are not deemed to be in members’ best interests. Amongst other things, the ACTU and the Ai Group are concerned that the bill will result in people being stuck in underperforming super funds.

CORPORATES
ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Business calls to fast-track tax cuts

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 2 : 26-Apr-21

The third stage of the federal government’s income tax cuts package is slated to take effect from 1 July 2024. Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott says the government should consider bringing forward the tax cuts in order to boost the economy and create jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Australian Council of Social Service CEO Cassandra Goldie recently called for the third-stage tax cuts to be dropped, arguing that they will benefit people on high incomes the most.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE