LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA – REGULATION

PM strong-arms union busting bill into Senate

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 7 : 6-Dec-19

The House of Representatives voted 75-65 to pass the Ensuring Integrity Bill on 5 December, after the federal government used its numbers to get the legislation through the lower house without any debate. The move was criticised by Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who accused the government of attempting to avoid scrutiny. The bill will return to the Senate when parliament resumes in 2020, after having been voted down by the upper house in late November.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Coalition manoeuvres to keep union bill alive

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 4-Dec-19

The federal government will reintroduce the Ensuring Integrity Bill to the lower house on 4 December, after it was recently voted down in the Senate. The bill includes the amendments that were requested by Centre Alliance and One Nation, and Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has indicated that the government may be open to further changes in order to secure the bill’s support in the Senate. Porter has rejected suggestions that the bill would enable unions to be deregistered for minor breaches of workplace laws, such as administrative errors.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Hanson blindside kills anti-thug law

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 29-Nov-19

The federal government will put its Ensuring Integrity Bill before the Senate again in 2020 after a vote was tied at 34 votes apiece on 28 November. The bill was defeated after One Nation joined with Labor and the Greens to vote against it, even though the government had agreed to the minor party’s proposed amendments. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie also voted against the bill. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has described the bill’s defea­t as a "win for workers", but Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says it is a "win for union thug­gery".

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ACTU, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED)

Porter rejects Lambie’s call to alter union bill

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 28-Nov-19

The federal government remains hopeful that One Nation will support its Ensuring Integrity Bill, with the minor party’s two votes being crucial to its passage through the Senate. Meanwhile, independent senator Jacqui Lambie has proposed a number of last-minute amendments to the bill in return for her support; they include a provision that unprotected industrial action cannot be used as grounds for disqualifying a union official. Attorney-General Christian Porter has ruled out supporting the amendments, arguing that they are unworkable.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, CENTRE ALLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Hanson not sold on union bill

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Nov-19

Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick has indicated that he will support the federal government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill. He says unions are "very useful organisations" that stand up for workers’ rights, but stresses that they are not above the law. The bill now only requires the support of One Nation or independent senator Jacqui Lambie. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says her party will consider the government’s final amendments to the bill and consult with unions before deciding its stance.

CORPORATES
CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, ACTU

One Nation backtracks on unions

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 22-Nov-19

The federal government is expected to release proposed amendments to the Ensuring Integrity Bill on 22 November. It is believed to have backed Centre Alliance’s proposal for a demerit points system for unions and officials who breach workplace laws, as well as amendments put forward by One Nation. However, One Nation has withdrawn proposed amendments that would have allowed unions to be deregistered over unprotected industrial action that could have a ‘substantial adverse effect’ on the economy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

One Nation bill changes get nod

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 21-Nov-19

Attorney-General Christian Porter says the federal government is open to One Nation’s proposed amendments to the Ensuring Integrity Bill. One Nation wants to increase the threshold for banning union officials under Centre Alliance’s proposed demerits points system. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson argues that sanctions such as the deregistration of a union should not apply for minor breaches of workplace laws. One Nation’s two votes in the Senate would give the government sufficient numbers to pass the bill before parliament rises for the year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU

Union-buster bill faces delay

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 14-Nov-19

The federal government is likely to put the Ensuring Integrity Bill on hold until the Senate resumes later in the month unless it secures a deal with crossbenchers on 14 November. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson have reservations about the proposed demerit points system. Meanwhile, the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been fined $38,000 for unlawful industrial action at a building site in Melbourne in April 2015. Two CFMMEU officials have in turn been fined $12,500 in total.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ACTU, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Union integrity bill in doubt as senators waver

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Nov-19

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter is confident that the federal government can reach a "sensible compromise" with Senate crossbenchers regarding the Ensuring Integrity Bill. The government had hoped to put the bill to a vote on 13 November, but independent senator Jacqui Lambie has reservations about the proposed demerit points system for unions. She is concerned that the bill would make it harder to deregister "union thugs" than officials who make minor administrative errors. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also has concerns about the proposed system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Morrison close on scrapping medivac

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 5 : 11-Nov-19

Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick says his party is close to reaching agreement with the federal government on its Ensuring Integrity Bill. Attorney-General Christian Porter has agreed to several concessions to secure Centre Alliance’s support for the bill, including a demerit-points system for union officials who breach workplace laws. The government is also hopeful of gaining sufficient numbers in the Senate to repeal Labor’s medivac bill.

CORPORATES
CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA