The NFF will advise larger farms to consider incorporating part of their business for employment purposes, but keep the rest unincorporated for tax reasons, the farmers' organisation told the Senate inquiry into Work Choices today.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet has promised a campaign of civil disobedience as part of a new "movement for change" against the Howard Government, as hundreds of thousands of people attended union rallies today against the Work Choices legislation.
The Work Choices legislation should be amended to reduce its overly generous sick/carers leave provisions and to restrict access to the new default provision of five weeks annual leave for shiftworkers, the Australian Industry Group told the Senate inquiry into the bill today.
The AIRC today refused to grant a s127 order to McCain Foods to stop AMWU members at its Wendouree plant near Ballarat in Victoria from taking part in tomorrow's national union protest against the Work Choices legislation.
Australia's eight state and territory ALP IR ministers presented a united front in Canberra today, arguing before the Work Choices Senate inquiry that the legislation the Federal Government was attempting to impose on their jurisdictions was unconstitutional, complex, and would reduce employees' wages and conditions. They also refused to answer questions from the committee's chair about advice they'd received on their planned High Court challenge.
The "unintended consequences" of the 38-hour week averaging and the point at which employers can give 90-days' notice to terminate an agreement are two areas in Work Choices the DEWR is looking at, the Senate inquiry into the legislation heard this morning.
The ABCC is ready to pursue any complaints about building workers stopping work for tomorrow's union national day of action, but it won't be initiating its own investigations according to its head, John Lloyd. The watchdog has also made its first use of its coercive powers, he says.
Australia's biggest independent producers of AWAs are lobbying for changes to the Work Choices legislation to ensure employers that have used the individual contracts under the existing laws are not disadvantaged by the new laws, which impose new restrictions on cashing out.
The fast-track Senate inquiry into the Work Choices legislation begins in Canberra on Monday, with DEWR representatives - who will give an outline of the legislation - up first, followed by the state and territory ALP IR Ministers.
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley today reiterated that the ALP would "bin" the Work Choices legislation if elected to office, and accused Prime Minister John Howard of being determined to "tear this country apart" while pursuing his long-held IR "dream".
