Just days after the defeat of the Morrison Government's legislation to further regulate the conduct of employee organisations and their officials, IR Minister Christian Porter has released a discussion paper on cooperative IR that seeks feedback on the role unions can play in fostering harmonious workplace relationships.
One of the architects of the Howard Government's 1996 industrial laws, Jonathan Hamberger, wants to see further change in Australian workplaces, but no longer believes legislation is the key.
New Zealand will consider enabling unions and employers to charge a bargaining fee for non-members under a new system of fair pay agreements that would mandate minimum rates and conditions across low-paid industries.
ACTU leader Sally McManus has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, asking him to implement a three-point plan that would lift aggregate annual wage growth from the current level of about 2.3% to about 3.5%.
The re-election of the Morrison Coalition Government has preserved the features of the current industrial relations system, but left unanswered questions over its workplace agenda for the next three years.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has pledged to hold a national summit between business and unions if he wins the federal election on Saturday, in another nod to the Hawke era of consensus-building in the 1980s.
Federal Labor has pledged to establish a new low-cost small claims jurisdiction to deal with wage underpayments, which will "sit alongside" the Fair Work Commission.
