What businesses need to know about the new Fair Work amendments

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Yesterday, the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2021 was passed by both Houses of Parliament and will shortly enter into law. Yet despite strong support from businesses and equally strong opposition from unions, the final version of the Bill removes much of what appealed to either group with one notable…

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REMINDER: Upcoming changes to the Retail Award

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As 2021 races by at an already alarming rate, NRA Legal takes this opportunity to remind members of several changes to the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (Retail Award) coming up in the first half of the year.   Final change to casual evening penalty rates on 1 March 2021 Further the decision of the Fair…

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What Boards need to know about wage compliance

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The introduction of the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020 into Federal Parliament late last year is likely to change the way that Boards of Directors respond to reports of non-compliance or ‘wage theft’. Because of their concurrent obligations under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act), this cohort has…

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Top 10 takeaways from the Federal Government’s IR shake up

The Morrison Government has introduced legislation to overhaul key areas of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), providing a collection of measures to make the Australian industrial relations system more workable while balancing employer and employee interests.   Among other matters, the legislation proposes to re-vamp casual employment, increase flexibility in some industries, and introduce…

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Summary of proposed reforms to the Fair Work Act

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The Morrison Government introduced legislation last December proposing sweeping reforms of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act). The National Retail Association has long campaigned for and significantly contributed towards the development of many of these reforms including to introduce flexibility into part-time employment, defining casual employment and changes to enterprise bargaining. The National Retail…

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Morrison Government proposes sweeping Fair Work reforms

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After a year that has been something of a hellish rollercoaster for many businesses, a light has appeared at the end of the tunnel with the Morrison Government announcing that it intends to introduce legislation to make radical amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) on Wednesday. These amendments come after several…

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Inquiry by a prospective employee not “protected” under Fair Work Act

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In a fascinating case before the Federal Court of Australia, Justice Steward considered whether a prospective employee has a workplace right to make inquiries about their prospective employment. Such a question obviously has significant ramifications for how an employer conducts itself when negotiating contract terms with prospective employees. Case: Maric v Ericsson Australia Pty Ltd [2020] FCA…

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No hibernation for the Fair Work Ombudsman: Record penalties secured for wage non-compliance

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The pandemic hasn’t hindered the Fair Work Ombudsman’s (the FWO) efforts to investigate and prosecute wage non-compliance in the retail and fast food sectors. The FWO has recently secured record penalties against companies that have underpaid their workers and failed to satisfy their recordkeeping obligations. In May, following prosecution by the FWO, the Federal Court…

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