Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has highlighted the positive duty imposed on employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation under its Respect@Work legislation, which passed Parliament this afternoon.
The Albanese Government had dropped contentious "cost neutrality" provisions from its Respect@Work Bill and will refer the matter to the Attorney-General's Department, which will conduct a review.
As the Senate prepares to consider the Albanese Government's Secure Jobs Bill, a new ACTU paper says the legislation's multi-employer bargaining provisions will be crucial in lifting wages in seven of the eight industries with above-average gender pay gaps.
In the final hearing before the Senate inquiry into the Secure Jobs Bill releases its report today, key ACT Independent senator David Pocock this morning sought more clarity on how interest-based bargaining will work and probed a finding that the government's impact analysis is merely "adequate".
The ACTU says the Albanese Government's push for multi-employer bargaining is at risk of being "frustrated" unless enterprise bargaining is knocked off its pedestal as a preferred object of the Fair Work Act.
The Senate has this afternoon extended the deadline until tomorrow for the report of the Secure Jobs Bill inquiry, which will hear last-minute evidence from the DEWR and FWC in the morning.
As she prepares to step down after 12 years, the world's top union leader, former ACTU president Sharan Burrow, has hailed the Albanese Labor Government for moving swiftly to overhaul Australia's IR laws, including the planned introduction of multi-employer bargaining.
Key crossbench Senator David Pocock says the vast majority of the Albanese Government's Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill is "good to go" and he is committed to working through his concerns about the rest of it in the next few weeks, including locking-in a review of the legislation.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says that "conversations are happening" on extending the sitting of the Senate beyond December 1 as he tries to win support from key crossbench senators for the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill.
Woolworths has called for the Albanese Government to initiate an urgent "proactive review" of the retail award, arguing it would produce better outcomes for their predominantly female workforce than a shift to multi-employer bargaining.