GIG ECONOMY – AUSTRALIA

Push for minimum pay for rideshare drivers

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 9 : 17-Dec-25

The Transport Workers Union will apply to the Fair Work Commission for minimum pay and conditions for rideshare drivers. The TWU will push for drivers’ minimum hourly rates to reflect the costs of being a contractor – such as vehicle expenses, road tolls and insurance – in addition to their actual work. The TWU’s survey of 1,600 rideshare drivers has found that their average take-home pay is $15 an hour, compared with the award rate of between $26 and $32 for transport workers. The TWU also found that drivers earn an average of just $703 a week after costs, while 59 per cent are skipping meals to save money.

CORPORATES
TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Uber drivers sacked over sex claims reinstated

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 29-Oct-25

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that ride-sharing giant Uber must reinstate two drivers under the federal government’s unfair deactivation laws. Uber was also ordered to pay one of the drivers more than $6,000 in lost earnings after removing him from its platform in May due to several complaints about sexually inappropriate misconduct; this included a female passenger’s allegation that the driver had been sexually gratifying himself. In the second case, the FWC has yet to determine how much compensation for lost wages a driver will be entitled to following his deactivation for allegedly hugging and kissing a female passenger. In both cases the FWC found that Uber had relied on customer statements or hearsay evidence from its service team in deactivating the drivers.

CORPORATES
UBER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Uber is cutting fares before Australia’s minimum gig work standards take effect, drivers say

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Original article by Josh Taylor, Josh Butler
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 10-Jul-24

Ride-sharing pioneer Uber says the decision to reduce its fares in Australia from 7 August is due to the current economic environment and local market conditions. However, some Uber drivers contend that the move is in response to the federal government’s Closing Loopholes industrial relations reforms, which take effect from 26 August. Brisbane-based Uber driver Shane Millsom is amongst those who believe that the company is acting to lock in new rates before the Fair Work Commission is given powers to set minimum pay and conditions for gig economy workers. He says Uber drivers are already facing cost-of-living pressures, including the rising price of petrol, insurance and car registration.

CORPORATES
UBER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Labor delivers concessions on gig economy employment reforms

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Original article by
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 9-Nov-23

On-demand platforms have welcomed the federal government’s decision to make changes to the gig economy provisions of its Closing Loopholes Bill; however, they believe that the concessions do not go far enough. Amongst other things, the amendments will limit the introduction of traditional employment conditions for gig economy workers, such as penalty rates. The Fair Work Commission will be able to impose penalty rates if they are deemed to be appropriate for the type of work, although on-demand platforms had wanted weekend and evening penalty rates to be specifically excluded from the legislation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Delivery prices could soar under gig laws: DoorDash

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 18-Oct-23

Uber Eats recently estimated that the gig economy reforms in the federal government’s Closing Loopholes Bill could increase the cost of using food delivery services by up to 85 per cent. However, rival food delivery platform DoorDash has told a Senate inquiry into the legislation that prices could potentially rise by more than 260 per cent. The legislation would give the Fair Work Commission powers to set minimum pay and conditions for gig workers, but DoorDash has argued that these powers should be limited to setting minimum pay, insurance, portable leave and payment times. Nick McIntosh from the Transport Workers’ Union says there is broad support for the reforms among gig economy workers and companies.

CORPORATES
DOORDASH, UBER EATS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION

New IR laws won’t hurt tradies, minister vows

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-May-23

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has emphasised that tradespersons and subcontractors in the construction industry will not be significantly affected by the federal government’s second tranche of industrial relations reforms. Burke says the new minimum standards for ’employee-like’ independent contractors will apply only to gig economy workers. His comments have been welcomed by Master Builders Australia’s acting CEO Shaun Schmitke; however, he says the government should make it explicitly clear that the legislation will be limited to gig-economy workers and provide an undertaking to exclude other industries before the legislation is introduced.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED