Australia "remains a global laggard" on work/family benefits and the next federal government should extend paid parental leave to 52 weeks, split carers and personal leave into separate 10-day entitlements, and investigate extending personal/carers and annual leave to casual workers, according to an academic group's report.
As wage stagnation and cost-of-living issues continue to feature in the federal election campaign, a new report shows Australia has experienced the greatest deceleration in real pay growth in the OECD since 2013, despite its relatively strong employment growth and low unemployment, suggesting that policy and institutional factors are the main culprit, rather than market forces.
Economist and former Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission presidential member Joe Isaac has called for a major overhaul of IR laws to restore the power of unions and boost the "authority" of the IR tribunal to drive wages growth.
The Federal Government should consider requiring APS agencies to report to the WGEA on their performance against gender equality targets, University of NSW researcher Sue Williamson told an IR academics' conference this month.
The Turnbull Government has confirmed it will make a submission to the Fair Work Commission on how to handle the transition to lower penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors.
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts says the party is inclined to back the ABCC and ROC bills, while it will also push for the federal government to get out of IR regulation and to beef-up the ACCC to police anti-competitive conduct by companies and unions.
Senator Malcolm Roberts says he has won backing from the Pauline Hanson's One Nation party room to investigate further IR changes by "working with the Turnbull Government".
ASX 200 organisations are "pro-active" in addressing gender-based pay inequity and more likely than smaller companies to address gender pay gaps but they still have a higher pay differential and a fewer women in leadership roles, according to a new WGEA report.
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 Productivity Commission has canvassed the "radical" option of providing a "universal basic income" to redistribute wealth as a response to digital disruption of the economy.
