The NSW Minns Labor Government has introduced what the Business Council claims is the "most interventionist AI and digital regulation" for employers in the country, while separately reviving a bid to lift the workers' compensation total impairment threshold for psychological injuries.
Victorian employers would need to give employees two weeks' written notice before introducing workplace surveillance under proposed laws that have won in-principle support from the Allan Government, which also this week vowed to offer clearer advice on the use of medicinal cannabis in the workplace.
The NSW Parliament has passed stripped-back workers' compensation reforms following serious backlash over a Minns Government plan to increase the whole-person impairment threshold from 15% to 31% for employees suffering psychological injuries.
As a leading employer-clientele lawyer hosed down fears about WFH "chaos" in the wake of the recent Chandler decision, the Greens have introduced legislation giving employees the right to work remotely for at least two days a week unless fulfilling their roles is "impractical or impossible".
Victoria's Allan Labor Government has today introduced legislation to restrict the use of non-disclosure agreements in settlements of workplace s-xual harassment cases.
NSW IR Minister Sophie Cotsis says a Bill providing for the CFMEU State branch's mining and energy division and its manufacturing division to disamalgamate will guard against threats or "adverse conduct", while avoiding overlapping eligibility rules for at least a decade.
The FWC is inviting quick submissions in its crucial work from home test case ahead of a directions hearing pushed back to September 5, after providing data underpinning WFH research criticised by the Australian Industry Group, while Victoria is consulting on WFH legislation to be introduced next year.
The Productivity Commission is urging parliamentarians to pause and potentially ditch moves to mandate guardrails for "high-risk AI", flying in the face of the recommendations of a government department and a union push for pre-agreed employment safeguards.
The Minns Labor Government's rush to pass contentious workers' compensation amendments has backfired, with the NSW upper house sending the legislation to a Greens-chaired inquiry that will get to decide its own reporting date.
A new UK bill introduced by the Starmer Labour Government seeks to reduce the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from two years to an employee's first day of work, although employers will potentially have an initial nine months in which to sack those "not right for the job".
