The ABCC's extraordinary powers to exclude lawyers from representing people in its hearings have been exercised "on a handful of occasions" - but always against the same lawyer, a Senate Committee heard yesterday.
Big jump in paid maternity, paternity leave, EOWA survey shows; Costa assumes Treasury portfolio after Iemma Government reshuffle; and ACTU attacks temporary skilled visas.
The Award Review Taskforce is set to commission an "award relevance study" to analyse the extent of compliance with and reliance on awards by employers, after a pilot study showed widespread non-compliance or non-reliance, according to its chair, Matthew O'Callaghan.
Mothers in part-time work are increasingly wanting longer hours, while higher-skilled jobs are associated with greater negative impacts on family life, according to new research.
The Federal Government has hailed a significant reduction in absentee rates among Centrelink employees, attributed by the agency to new initiatives including early intervention and rehabilitation and more flexible working arrangements.
Employees at the University of Ballarat have launched a class action, claiming the employer has breached the Workplace Relations Act by making false and misleading statements about the AWAs it is offering.
The ABCC has served 113 notices to produce documents in Victoria - eight times more than any other state - since it started operations on October 1 last year.
Growth in basic hourly wages across Australia fell slightly to 3.1% in the year to February 2006, while total pay increased by only 1.6%, according to a survey by the Melbourne Institute.
Two of Australia's largest industry super funds, the Superannuation Trust of Australia and the Australian Retirement Fund, have formally announced that their planned merger will proceed, with the new fund expected to be operating from July 1 this year.
