The Federal Government faces difficulty aligning its "flexibility and freedom" rhetoric on its proposed Independent Contractors Act with its goals of maximising tax revenue and retirement savings, according to leading workplace relations academic Professor Andrew Stewart.
Employment disputes which can no longer be dealt with by the AIRC under the new IR regime will inevitably find their way into other jurisdictions such as OHS, discrimination and trade practices law, says Sydney University Dean of Law, Professor Ron McCallum.
The approach the High Court might take in dealing with a challenge to the Coalition's IR package is far from certain and may depend on how bold the Government is in trying to cover as many workers as possible, according to leading constitutional academic Professor George Williams.
Federal WR Minister Kevin Andrews today announced changes to the Government's construction industry Code that will require contractors for Commonwealth building work to be Code-compliant before submitting tenders and to ensure all their new projects are Code-compliant, even on non-Government jobs.
The South Australian Government has won its pay battle with the PSA, after the SA IRC accepted nearly all the Government's submissions in an arbitrated award covering the State's 27,000 public servants.
The CFMEU and building industry employers are tomorrow expected to find out if the Federal Government has moved the goal posts on the sector's code of conduct when Workplace Relations Minister, Kevin Andrews, outlines his construction industry reforms.
The ACCI has written to church leaders in Australia seeking meetings to discuss the Howard Government's proposed IR changes, saying those involved in public debate should "avoid being misled" by unions.
Seventeen per cent of employers are likely to hire more staff as a result of the Federal Government's proposed abolition of unfair dismissal laws for businesses with up to 100 employees, according to a new survey.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, maintains the growth of the "enterprise worker" has been the most important economic development in Australia in the last two decades, and says it is "attitude of mind" that separates them from the rest.
