The Australian Hotels Association has defended its "constructive" approach to negotiations with the Albanese Government on casuals provisions in the Loopholes Bill, after it won concessions that peak body ACCI and other employer organisations say should be rejected.
FWC President Adam Hatcher says there are early indications the tribunal's new powers are starting to influence bargaining behaviour, while he is also urging legal and HR practitioners to look into a recent case that "signposts a way to remedy gender undervaluation at the granular workplace level".
The Closing Loopholes Bill is unlikely to reduce reliance on long-term casual employment and will not expose employers to "unnecessary uncertainty", a leading IR law academic says, contradicting barrister Stuart Wood's recent advice to the BCA.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has committed to make significant changes in the way the Closing Loopholes Bill treats casual work, according to the Australian Hotels Association.
The Victorian Government, the State's Trades Hall and the ASU are calling for the Albanese Government to stick to its pre-election commitment to enact a carve-out in the Closing Loopholes Bill so that state wage theft laws can continue to operate.
The new WA Labor Premier, Roger Cook, has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to warn that he should consider industry concerns that the Closing Loopholes legislation might damage the mining and resources sector.
The Minerals Council has revealed it expects to spend up to $24 million on its advertising campaign against the Albanese Government's Loopholes Bill during the current financial year, exceeding the amount the resources sector directed into its efforts to slay the previous Labor Government's super profits tax in 2010.
The ACTU is pushing for the Closing Loopholes legislation to empower the FWC to set minimum standards for all "employee-like" workers, not just those engaged in digital platform work.
Digital platform DoorDash has aired its concerns that the Closing Loopholes Bill gives "unprecedented power" to the FWC, "a body which has previously only ever dealt with employment", without requiring it to consult on-demand economy experts, while Didi and Uber are also seeking changes to the FWC's proposed enlarged ambit.
BHP has accused the Albanese Government of "blatantly" seeking to undermine the FWC's independent decision-making by declaring the company's Operations Services internal labour hire arm a key target of the Closing Loopholes legislation.