The newly-independent South Australian Senator Rex Patrick says he will now focus on job creation through industry policy and value-added manufacturing to help Australia recover from the coronavirus pandemic rather than "tweaking the IR rules" as sought by the Morrison Government.
The Morrison Government has eased the eligibility thresholds for businesses and employees to qualify for the JobKeeper wage subsidy program, largely due to the Victorian coronavirus outbreak that has shut down large parts of the State's economy.
Victoria's COVID-19 resurgence is causing upheaval across the state's workplaces, with high test results among health and aged care workers forcing the Federal and State governments to introduce emergency staffing measures.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has recruited another former union heavyweight to help guide the national economic response to COVID-19, appointing ex-AWU national secretary Paul Howes to a newly-badged advisory board with responsibility for IR, workforces and superannuation.
Today's Federal Government economic and fiscal update forecasts record low wages growth of 1.25% in 2020-21 due to the recession induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The major iron miner Fortescue Metals has called for the income tax exemption ceiling for employee share schemes to be lifted from $1000 to $5000, arguing the cap is too low to provide a "meaningful incentive".
Former ACTU secretary and ex-Federal Labor Minister Greg Combet has taken on a new role as an "expert advisor" on industrial relations in the Attorney-General's Department.
The ACTU has called on the Morrison Government to stop favouring Qantas and to swiftly commit to critical financial support to underpin the future of Virgin Australia, after administrator Deloitte confirmed Bain Capital as the successful bidder for the stricken airline.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus will tonight use a "robo-call" to about 500,000 lower and middle-income households to explain the union movement's aims heading into the first of the Morrison Government's IR change discussions tomorrow.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says that employers will need extra flexibility from the IR system for the economy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.