Victoria's Andrews Labor Government has pledged a more hands-on approach to regulating the gig economy, with plans to introduce legislation next year if it wins the November 26 State election.
The Albanese Government has confirmed its Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill to be into introduced into Parliament next Thursday will include measures to close the gender pay gap, but IR academic Shae McCrystal says any legislation must also provide a right to strike or compulsory arbitration for workers engaging in multi-employer bargaining.
As the Albanese Government continues talks on its planned introduction of national IR standards for the gig economy, NSW Labor is promising to deliver minimum rates, portable entitlements and workers compensation for platform workers in the State if it takes power next year.
A new Labor MP has described her personal experience of the "ache of insecure work" in the tertiary education sector to reinforce why it has become one of the primary targets in the Albanese Government's legislative agenda.
In his first announcement as federal IR minister, Tony Burke has put closing the gender pay gap at the forefront of his agenda, while encouraging workers to join their unions.
In the face of criticism from a peak employer body, Labor has maintained its support for an increase in the minimum wage matching the current inflation rate of 5.1%, while hinting that it will make further announcements before the Federal election on Saturday week.
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.
The next federal government should establish free early childhood education, amend the Fair Work Act to provide a legal right to a living wage for all workers, extend paid parental leave to 32 weeks and make the treasury responsible for "gender responsive budgeting", according to an academic group's report.
The FWC faces major changes after the May 21 Federal election, with the winner entrusted with appointing a successor to President Iain Ross and Labor pledging to "rebalance" the tribunal after a succession of appointments from an employer background.
