The federal government's decision as part of its "red tape" repeal campaign to rescind the IR guidelines for government cleaning contracts suggests it is "willing to turn a blind eye to labour law non-compliance by its own contractors", according to a procurement expert, Melbourne Law School associate professor John Howe.
Gender reporting requirements for businesses with more than 100 employees will stay as they are for another year, while new minimum reporting standards will apply to non-government employers with more than 500 employees from October, Employment Minister Eric Abetz has announced.
The Coalition has made good on its election promise to launch a new guide and online learning program to help small business owners to hire new employees.
Stoljar, Elliott, Roughley the Royal Commission legal team; Senate committee to report on Fair Work Amendment Bill by early June; FWC president appoints Harcourt to super expert panel; and IR ministers unchanged after WA and Victorian reshuffles.
The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption will hold its first hearing next month and Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon will hand his final report to the federal government at the end of the year.
There is no barrier to federal and state governments immediately putting in place Victorian-style procurement arrangements to improve IR on infrastructure projects, according to a Productivity Commission draft report.
The royal commission into union financial dealings will force some employers to give an account of their own dealings, according to Employment Minister Eric Abetz.
Employment Minister Eric Abetz has vowed to take the existing legislation to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission to a vote in the Senate, arguing that Labor and the Greens would not give their support even it was amended.
The Federal Government is yet to decide whether it will introduce a FWC appeals jurisdiction, while its submission to the four-year modern award review leaves the door open for stakeholders to seek pay rises, a Senate committee has heard.
A Sydney-based silk with a strong suit in commercial law is tipped for the crucial role of counsel assisting the royal commission into the governance of unions and their financial dealings.
