The ALP caucus today resolved to oppose the Morrison Government's Omnibus IR Bill in its entirety, in a major shift from the more cooperative approach taken towards emergency legislation last year at the height of the pandemic.
The ALP will consider its IR platform at a "virtual" national conference in late March next year, possibly just ahead of an early Federal election, while the ACTU's next triennial congress is also likely to go online.
The ALP has produced a draft national platform that pledges to ensure that workers in the gig economy earn a living wage and have access to "the same protections and standards as all Australian workers", while vowing to address the broader challenges of insecure employment.
The re-election of the Morrison Coalition Government has preserved the features of the current industrial relations system, but left unanswered questions over its workplace agenda for the next three years.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has pledged to hold a national summit between business and unions if he wins the federal election on Saturday, in another nod to the Hawke era of consensus-building in the 1980s.
Federal Labor has pledged to establish a new low-cost small claims jurisdiction to deal with wage underpayments, which will "sit alongside" the Fair Work Commission.
Labor has pledged to immediately increase the minimum wage for skilled overseas visa workers to $65,000 - a rise of almost 21% - if it wins the Federal election
NSW Labor has laid out its plan to beef up the State's OHS, anti-discrimination and anti-bullying jurisdiction, including by reviving the industrial court and extending access to private sector employees, if it wins Saturday's election.
