In its first sitting week, Queensland's Crisafulli Government has "rammed through" legislation to reduce health and safety permit holders' entry rights, to address what it says is the CFMEU's "weaponisation of workplace health and safety", and introduced legislation to re-establish the State productivity commission.
QCU general secretary Jacqueline King has warned ahead of the State election on Saturday that public sector pay rises of 2.5% will not be enough to avoid industrial action, regardless of who is in power, while unions are also continuing their push for a significant boost to paid parental leave entitlements.
Queensland's Miles Government has secured the passage of legislation to introduce a broad positive duty to eliminate not only sexual harassment and harassment on the basis of s-x, but discrimination and "other objectionable conduct" as far as possible.
A leading IR law academic says he would not be surprised if the Albanese Government proposes a Fair Work court to operate alongside the FWC if it is returned at the next federal election, while SA Employment Tribunal President Stephen Dolphin recommends looking to the "exceptional" model in his State.
Ahead of the October 26 State election, Queensland unions are set to launch a campaign today to lift the current public sector parental leave entitlement of 15 weeks to 18 weeks, plus an extra eight weeks for workers with five years service.
Australia can learn from the "disappointing" under-utilisation of Spain's groundbreaking menstrual leave entitlement during its first year, due to fear of discrimination at work and the limitations of its model, according to an employment lawyer.
Legislation introduced recently to Queensland's Parliament imposes a positive duty that goes beyond the Respect@Work model, adds new protected attributes to the Anti-Discrimination Act and improves protections for workers assaulted on the job, but the State union peak body is disappointed it continues to permit religious bodies to discriminate in employment.
The AWU has abandoned a long history of going it alone in Queensland, re-affiliating with the State's peak union body, while the Mining and Energy Union has also returned to the fold after a shorter absence.
A tribunal has accepted a barrister's assurances that an industrial advocacy firm is in no danger of breaching laws prohibiting payment for helping him to represent a real estate agent who is accusing her former employer and four ex-colleagues of s-xual harassment.
The ACTU is calling for flexible work arrangement requests to extend to reproductive health issues, ahead of consideration of the issue at next week's triennial Congress in Adelaide.
