Queensland's Palaszczuk Labor Government has committed to introducing a new offence of "negligence causing death", adopting an interim recommendation from the head of its OHS review.
The Federal Government is considering changing the Corporations Act to curb "sharp corporate practices" that could threaten the "integrity and future sustainability" of the the Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme.
The Turnbull Government has quietly withdrawn parental leave legislation that sought remove employers from a mandatory role as "paymasters", prohibit "double dipping" and increase the maximum Government payment to 20 weeks.
A Senate inquiry's largely bipartisan support for the Turnbull Government's Protecting Vulnerable Workers Bill is a "striking indication" of how far the debate on the issue has advanced, according to Adelaide University Professor of Law, Andrew Stewart.
A Senate inquiry has recommended an employer who gives a union official a $20 bottle of wine for speaking at a conference be exempted from sanctions in the corrupting benefits legislation that is before the House of Representatives today.
Victoria's Andrews Government says it will legislate for a state-based labour hire licensing scheme that might not be limited to the three sectors recommended by last year's labour hire inquiry, while it will push Canberra to establish a national scheme.
Queensland's Palaszczuk Labor Government will introduce legislation this month to mandate the licensing of labour hire companies from next year, setting the pace for other Labor states such as Victoria and South Australia.
Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says low penalties are creating a "perverse incentive" for a "dangerous minority" of employers to use inaccurate or incomplete records to conceal underpayments, forcing the watchdog to use novel, labour-intensive strategies to piece together employees' working hours.
In a rare decision on stand-down provisions under the Fair Work Act, the Federal Court has ruled that a contractor failed to comply with its obligation to pay its permanent part-time school cleaners normally during the 16 weeks of school holidays.
The FWC has issued an interim order to restrain an employer from disciplining an executive for alleged misconduct until the tribunal determines her anti-bullying application.
