The dispute at Victoria's Country Fire Authority is set to flare in coming weeks as the new CFA board considers whether to sign-off on a controversial enterprise agreement.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash will lead the push to re-establish the ABCC and to create a specialist regulator of unions, once the Federal parliament resumes on August 30.
The Coalition says it will put five workplace relations bills before the Federal Parliament if it is returned to office, but has flagged that it will not announce a full IR policy ahead of Saturday's election.
With only nine days until the federal election, the Nick Xenophon Team has announced a "modified" policy under which it will support the role of the Fair Work Commission in setting penalty rates.
The Turnbull Government has pledged that if it is returned on July 2, it will introduce a public interest test for union mergers, which would put the planned tie-up between the CFMEU and the MUA under the microscope.
A second-term Turnbull Government will adopt the "overwhelming majority" of the Heydon Royal Commission's recommendations, including outlawing "corrupting benefits" such as those involved in the AWU-Cleanevent deal and giving courts the power to disqualify repeat-offender union officials, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said today.
Unions are pushing for the introduction of a threshold "better off overall test" for employers that are seeking to join the national Comcare workers' compensation scheme.
Two weeks into the federal election campaign, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for the re-introduction of statutory individual agreements and the removal of all content except wage rates from modern awards.
