With the Howard Government on the brink of controlling the Senate during its fourth term, unions face, at the very least, the prospect of the Government passing the raft of legislation blocked by the Democrats during the past eight years. But labour market deregulation has long been a Howard obsession and there will be a strong temptation to use the Government's unfettered domination of both houses to change the IR landscape.
A leading stockbroking firm faces substantial damages after the Federal Court found it made misleading and deceptive representations to an analyst that encouraged him to leave a job with another broking firm.
The Building Industry Taskforce is considering an appeal against the Federal Court's refusal to give it access to the banking records of CFMEU members who it believed might have unlawfully received strike pay from Multiplex.
A defence contractor has won the right to racially discriminate against employees in Victoria where necessary to meet US Government legal and contractual requirements.
Victorian casual workers with more than 12 months employment will be entitled to the same jury service entitlements as permanents, following an AIRC test case ruling.
A Federal Court full bench has found an AIRC full bench wrongly reversed the reinstatement of 16 mineworkers selected for redundancy after a Rio Tinto subsidiary blacklisted them because they supported the coal mining union and opposed AWAs.
Strike continues at BlueScope Steel; SA public servants win interim pay rise; Maurice Blackburn Cashman merges with Whyburns Legal; and IEU NSW leader returned.
The fourth term Howard Government will be in a powerful position to advance its IR agenda in the Senate from next July, but it shouldn't assume it will automatically win the support of the crucial new Family First senator.
The AIRC has criticised the South Australian Government for failing to seek relief over industrial action which was preventing the repair of traffic lights at major intersections.
