Attorney-General and IR Minister Christian Porter is attempting to stare down allegations of inappropriate conduct, as he prepares to oversee crucial legislation to change workplace laws and to introduce a national anti-corruption agency.
Treasury officials have sought to reassure senators that if employers recruit and engage young workers under the Morrison Government's $4 billion JobMaker hiring credit scheme, they won't breach the Age Discrimination Act.
The Registered Organisations Commission has spent up to 42% of its recent work time responding to questions on notice from Labor's Senator Kimberley Kitching, according to one of its senior officers.
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts has warned that his longstanding concerns over the treatment of casual coal mining workers could influence his vote on the Morrison Government's forthcoming IR Bill.
About three-quarters of employers that participated in the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme used the temporary IR flexibilities such as employee stand-downs, according to a new report.
The Federal Circuit Court has criticised the Federal Department of Agriculture for taking a "belligerent", "intransigent course" in resisting an extension of time and seeking costs against a former employee despite her lawyers accepting full responsibility.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus is hopeful that agreement can be reached on a legal definition of casual employees, despite the Morrison Government's IR working groups ending with recriminations between union and employer groups.
The Morrison Government will modestly increase funding to the Fair Work Commission over the next two years as part of its response to COVID-19, which is expected to drive up employer insolvencies and increase demand for the Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme.
