Qantas's new budget airline will be based on the low-cost Impulse Airlines subsidiary and will have a lower overall cost structure than Virgin Blue, Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said today.
The Howard Government late this morning released 337 amendments it is seeking to its Work Choices legislation, which it intends to pass early tomorrow evening.
Monash University has set up a new national institute to monitor and promote employment rights in response to the federal government's second wave IR changes, which are expected to pass the Senate tomorrow.
The Federal Government last night overcame the last hurdle to getting its Work Choices legislation through Parliament, winning backbench endorsement for amendments on compulsory 12-month averaging of the 38-hour week, public holidays, unfair dismissal restructuring, medical certificates, the timing of wages payments, outworker protection, and the term of greenfield deals.
Employers should factor in the prospect of legal uncertainty from constitutional challenges to the Work Choices legislation, according to a new research paper by the federal parliamentary library.
Family First Senator Steve Fielding today said he will vote against it, but the Work Choices bill has the numbers to pass the Upper House with an uncertain number of amendments supported by wavering National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce.
The Australian Building and Construction Commissioner John Lloyd has in the past week made the first use of his power to intervene in court and tribunal proceedings.
Coalition members will meet later this week to consider amendments to the Work Choices legislation, with Prime Minister John Howard this morning reiterating that he wanted the bill passed this fortnight - the final session before Parliament rises for the year.
The ACCC has begun a secondary boycott action against the CFMEU's WA branch over alleged bans it imposed on Doric Constructions at the Holiday Inn site at Burswood in Perth.
