The Federal Court has upheld an appeal against discovery orders granted to the Fair Work Ombudsman in a Fijian worker underpayment case, finding that the watchdog should have sufficient evidence to prosecute its cases when court proceedings begin.
The Coalition has wound the clock back 20 years with its promise that the Fair Work Commission will arbitrate greenfields deals - effectively making "paid rates industry awards" - if agreement can't be reached, barrister Stuart Wood SC told AMMA's national conference yesterday.
Peak employer group CCI Queensland has come out against the State Government's bill to stiffen regulation of organisations, because it is "ill founded" and likely to stifle democratic debate and entangle unions and employer organisations in red tape.
Howard Government IR minister Peter Reith has denounced his party's IR policy as "very limited" and urged business to pressure an Abbott government to promptly start its promised Productivity Commission inquiry into the Fair Work regime - and to write it a draft terms of reference.
Unions have warned Newcastle's Port Waratah Coal that a bargaining dispute could spread within the worldwide network of maritime and mining unions, after workers overwhelmingly endorsed taking further industrial action during a four-hour stopwork meeting yesterday.
In a decision with potential ramifications for the push-selling industry, the Federal Circuit Court has found a kitchenware retailer contravened the Fair Work Act's sham contracting provisions when it purported to engage four sales representatives as "independent agents" in early 2010.
The federal government has made it easier for parents who have children close together to access its paid parental scheme and has increased the cost of 457 visas, in measures introduced in last night's Budget.
