INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – LAW AND LEGISLATION – AUSTRALIA

Employers urge Ley to expand IR changes

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 22-Oct-25

Opposition leader Sussan Ley has committed to reviewing the federal government’s multi-employer bargaining laws. However, business groups want the Coalition to consider more extensive industrial relations reforms. The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s CEO Andrew McKellar says the Coalition should look at increasing the legal definition of a small business from 15 employees to 25, contending that getting a fair deal for small business should be a priority. The Australian Resources & ­Energy Employer Association’s CEO Steve Knott in turn has identified the abolition of laws expanding union delegate rights, right-of-entry provisions and the Fair Work Commission’s intractable bargaining powers as reforms the Coalition should be pursuing.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION

BHP pay ruling leaves very wide grey zone

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 9-Jul-25

The Minerals Council of Australia has responded to the ‘same job, same pay’ ruling with regard to employees of BHP’s Operation Services division. The MCA says the the mining industry’s "worst fears" about the federal government’s industrial relations laws have been confirmed; it has also warned that there will continue to be "grey areas" regarding the application of the ‘same job, same pay’ laws. The Fair Work Commission’s former vice-president Graeme Watson says the wording of the legislation deliberately sets a low bar, and many more applications aimed at equalising rates of pay across worksites can be expected in response to this ruling.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, OPERATION SERVICES, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Bosses reject ACTU’s new bargaining push

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 3-Dec-24

The Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association has called for restrictions on the use of multi-employer bargaining. Its submission to a review of the federal government’s ‘Secure Jobs, Better Pay’ laws has argued that it should only be available in workplaces where an employer has agreed to bargain collectively. AREEA also opposes the ACTU’s push to broaden the scope of multi-employer bargaining, while it has called for the intractable bargaining provisions to be wound back.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION, ACTU

Spare us the scare campaigns, says Watt

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: Online : 6-Nov-24

The CFMEU’s ­national secretary Zach Smith says the approvals process for enterprise agreements has become a "farce". He alleges that the Fair Work Commission is taking up to three months to approve new pay deals for workers in the CFMEU’s construction division in the wake of the move to place it in administration. Meanwhile, Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt has downplayed fears about the impact of the federal government’s multi-employer bargaining laws on the mining sector. He notes that the FWC has authorised just 13 single-interest multi-employer bargaining processes since mid-2023, and none of them have covered mine production workers.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

ALP delays small business IR review beyond election

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 30-Oct-24

The federal government agreed to review small business exemptions from the Fair Work Act in return for the support of crossbench senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie for its second tranche of industrial relations reforms. Amongst other things, the proposed review will consider the definition of a small business, which is currently set at fewer than 15 employees. However, the government has advised that the review may be delayed until mid-2025. Council of Small Business Organisations Australia CEO Luke Achterstraat says the current definition of a small business is not ‘fit for purpose’, and the government needs to provide the sector with as much certainty and confidence as possible.

CORPORATES
COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ALP under fire over small business review

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-Oct-24

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Andrew McKellar has defended its call for the federal government to change the legal definition of a small business. He contends that the push to change this from 15 employees to 25 is not aimed at undermining the rights of workers. The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia supports the ACCI’s push, says CEO Luke Achterstraat. He adds that the government’s refusal to consider the proposal has undermined the Fair Work Ombudsman’s own review of the definition of a small business; Labor had commissioned this to secure the support of independent senator David Pocock for its workplace reforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Labor stares down furious CFMEU’s court challenge

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 4-Sep-24

The CFMEU’s former national president Jade Ingham says legislation to appoint an administrator to its construction division is "unconstitutional and undemocratic". He has launched a legal challenge to the legislation in the High Court, contending that the laws could potentially be used to target any organisation that "gets off-side" of the federal government. Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have stated that the federal government had expected a legal challenge and has prepared for it.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Business split over right to disconnect law

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Original article by Matt Bell, David Ross
The Australian – Page: 17 : 27-Aug-24

Unions have welcomed the federal government’s ‘right to disconnect’ reforms, describing them as a "cost-of-living win" for workers. However, shadow finance minister Jane Hume says the right to disconnect laws are "completely unworkable"; she contends that employers have been discussing this issue with their staff for many years, so legislation is not necessary. NIB Holdings CEO Mark Fitzgibbon is amongst the business leaders who have also questioned whether the right to disconnect laws are needed. Bendigo & Adelaide Bank CEO Marnie Baker in turn says workers should be able to choose whether to disconnect from their employer outside of working hours.

CORPORATES
NIB HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NHF, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN

Business disconnected from IR law changes

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Original article by Rhiannon Down
The Australian – Page: 7 : 17-Jul-24

Council of Small Business Organisations Australia CEO Luke Achterstraat says all small business owners need to be informed about the federal government’s industrial relations reforms which come into effect next month. COSBOA has launched a new initiative called Small Business Peak, which aims to inform the small enterprise sector about the upcoming IR changes. Achterstraat notes that many small business owners are ‘time-poor’ and do not have an in-house legal team to keep them informed of legislative changes. A survey has found that just 21 per cent of small business owners are aware of the IR reforms.

CORPORATES
COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

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