The Morrison Government's closely-guarded IR working group process - which has included addresses by FWC President Iain Ross and fast food giant McDonald's - is nearing the point where it will become clear whether consensus can be reached between employers and unions on changes to workplace laws.
The newly-independent South Australian Senator Rex Patrick says he will now focus on job creation through industry policy and value-added manufacturing to help Australia recover from the coronavirus pandemic rather than "tweaking the IR rules" as sought by the Morrison Government.
The Victorian government will give major warehouses and distributions an extra 48 hours to comply with a lockdown requirement to reduce their staffing to two-thirds of their normal levels.
Self-employed people and employers in Victoria who fail to notify WorkSafe about positive COVID-19 tests or confirmed coronavirus cases attending workplaces in the infectious period now face a fine of up to $39,652 for individuals and $198,264 for a body corporate.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says that employers will need extra flexibility from the IR system for the economy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Queensland's Palaszczuk Labor Government is struggling to sell a proposed 12-month freeze on a scheduled 2.5% wage increase to the unions representing the state's public sector workers.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plan for a dialogue with unions and employers over changes to workplace laws has sparked a scramble among stakeholders to get a seat at the table.
Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter will chair five working groups with the aim of producing a "practical reform" of the IR system to help grow jobs as the economy emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a significant decision examining how employers can lawfully assess "useful work" when standing down employees, the FWC has ruled a pandemic-affected cruise operator acted "upon proper principles" when transferring some of a superintendent's duties to others.
Reduction in JobKeeper recipients won't lift unemployment, says Treasury; Men more likely to seek early super release; Court reserves on COVID-19 regulation challenge; and NRL refs sideline FWC case.
