Labor's audacious bid to restore penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors by piggy-backing one of the Federal Government's own IR bills fell at the first hurdle today, when rebel Nationals MP George Christensen indicated he could not support legislation that failed to protect businesses from back-pay claims.
The non-profit provider of a phone counselling service says it has been left financially "devastated" after paying the redundancy entitlements of 45 employees, following a stoush with Social Services Minister Christian Porter over who should bear costs where work is reliant on government contracts.
The Turnbull Government has listed two contested IR Bills for the debate in the Senate next week, setting it at odds with union calls to hold back controversial legislation until the citizenship status of MPs is clarified.
The ABCC has reviewed its legal expenditure after an "overspend" in the past financial year that included a blowout to almost $11 million in billings for external advice, representing about a third of its $34 million budget.
The Federal Court has today made a consent order under which the AFP will not pass on documents seized in Tuesday's raids on the AWU, and the Registered Organisations Commission will not accept them, until the union's bid to stop the investigation of the matter has been heard.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said last night that she made an offer to the Opposition to split-off into a separate Bill elements of the "four-yearly review" legislation that enable the FWC to overlook technical and minor errors in agreements, after tribunal president Iain Ross twice wrote asking her to urgently secure its passage.
