December 3, 2024

anthony albanese

Paid Parental Leave boost on its way through Federal Parliament

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Unions have welcomed the Albanese Government’s introduction of legislation to deliver its promised boost to the Paid Parental Leave Scheme into Federal Parliament.

The legislation is set to ensure that superannuation will be paid on all Government Paid Parental Leave from 1 July 2025.

The move seeks to acknowledge the importance of time away from the workforce for caring duties and reduce the impact of paid parental leave on parents’ retirement incomes.

Australian Council of Trade Unions President, Michele O’Neil a step towards achieving gender equality.

“Women make up the majority of primary caregivers in this country, leading to what has been referred to as ‘the motherhood penalty’, where they face greater economic insecurity because of time out of the workforce to care for children,” Ms O’Neil said.

“The effect of lower income compounds over time, increasing the gap between men and women’s superannuation balances at retirement with women retiring with around 25 per cent less super than men.

“Paying super on Paid Parental Leave is an important step to reducing the gendered gaps in retirement savings.”

The payment of Paid Parental Leave was announced in March alongside the launch of the National Strategy for Gender Equality.

Working Australians looking for wage growth and cost of living relief in federal budget

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Unions are calling for greater cost of living relief and increased wages in this week’s federal budget.

According to a statement by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), working Australians will be looking towards Treasury’s wage growth figures and will be expecting budget measures that support wage growth as part of the Albanese government’s commitment to addressing the ongoing cost of living crisis.

ACTU President, Michele O’Neil, commended the federal government for their current measures towards addressing wage growth, but indicated there was more that needed to be done.

“The government has made good steps in addressing the cost-of-living, with workers seeing improvements in bargaining rights, support for increases in the minimum wage, and a pay rise for aged care workers. Particularly important is the cost-of-living tax bonus from July 1st for workers who need it the most, as well as last year’s energy bill relief, which took pressure off household budgets,” Ms O’Neil said.

O’Neil blamed the previous Liberal-National Coalition government for historically low wage growth but indicated she hoped this would turn around under the Albanese government’s industrial relations reforms.

“Wage growth has finally turned around as a result of decisions made by the Albanese Government, and we expect the 2024 Budget to continue to deliver on the economic conditions that support higher wages.”

Unions welcome additional protections for migrant workers

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Unions have welcomed the Albanese Government’s announcement of new measures to protect migrant workers from exploitation.

The government’s proposed package of measures includes new criminal offences for employers who coerce temporary migrant workers to breach their visa conditions or to accept exploitative workplace practices. It also includes measures to prevent employers who have engaged in serious, repeated or deliberate non-compliance from employing additional temporary migrant workers for a period of time.

The government also announced that it will work with unions, industry and key stakeholders to design a system that will enhance protections and safeguards for migrant workers. This includes protections against visa cancellation for workers reporting exploitation, a visa to enable temporary migrant workers to remain in the country while they pursue their workplace entitlements, and the creation of a ‘firewall’ between the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs to encourage exploited workers to report exploitation without suffering adverse immigration outcomes.

ACTU President Michele O’Neil said that the government’s announcement was an important step forward in tackling the systemic and widespread exploitation of migrant workers in Australia.

“Migrant worker exploitation is a national shame,” said Ms O’Neil. “We welcome the Albanese Government taking action to protect migrant workers from exploitation and to implement key recommendations of the Migrant Worker Taskforce – after years of inaction by the Coalition Government.”

“The exploitation of workers in Australia on short term visas hurts all workers and exposes the impact of a migration system that has shifted away from permanent migration towards a guest worker, individual employer driven approach.”

Ms O’Neil said that more needed to be done to protect migrant workers, and that the ACTU would continue to work with the government and other stakeholders on further proposals to engineer exploitation out of the migration system.

“Migrant workers should be able to enforce their workplace rights without jeopardising their ability to stay in the country,” said Ms O’Neil.

The government’s announcement is a welcome development, and it is important that the government follows through on its commitments to protect migrant workers from exploitation.

 

Labour agreement introduced to strengthen aged care sector

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Unions and the federal government have developed an opportunity for aged care providers to sponsor direct care workers through skilled visas, in an attempt to address the aged care skills shortage.

The new Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement aims to improve recruitment and retention within the aged care sector.

The agreement offers additional incentives to attract workers, including a faster two-year pathway to permanent residency.

To access it, providers must enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), by negotiating directly with unions.

The government acknowledged the role migration can play in alleviating workforce pressures in a media release and reiterated the need to invest in skills and training for the sector in response to the findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission.

Expanding the aged care workforce is crucial to increase care minutes, enhance care systems, and ensure the safety and dignity of older Australians. Direct care roles in the aged care sector are in national shortage, as defined by the Skills Priority List.

Providers can apply for an Aged Care Labour Agreement immediately, with the Department of Home Affairs prioritising applications.

This comes off the back of the government’s announcement of a historic 15% pay rise to aged care workers’ wages from 1 July this year.

Significant announcement on aged care wages expected from federal government

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Register now to stay informed on upcoming changes and join the discussion 

An announcement from the federal government is expected regarding the significant wage increase of aged care workers.  

This news comes after the Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently made the decision to increase aged care Award wages by 15%, a correction addressing the long-standing issue of undervaluation in the aged care sector.  

This is a huge step forward after union members spent two years fighting for significant wage increases for all aged care workers. 

To keep members informed about these changes and their implications, members are invited to register for notifications. 

Once the announcement is made, we will host a webinar alongside other unions to discuss the details of the pay increase. Register now and keep an eye on your emails for an invite over the coming week. 

New legislation aims for pay transparency

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The federal government has introduced a Bill that will force companies to publicly disclose the difference between male and female workers’ earnings.

The Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 requires companies with 100 or more employees to disclose how much they are paying their workers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took to Twitter to announce the introduction of the Bill into parliament, saying: “Women should be paid the same as men. It’s as simple as that.”

Reporting will begin in 2024, using data already provided by employers. Companies’ gender pay gaps are to be published on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency website, for all to see.

Currently, the average Australian woman has to work an extra 61 days a year to earn the same pay as the average Australian man. The gender pay gap currently sits at 14.1 per cent, with women on average earning $263.90 per week less than men.

The ACTU said that Australia has had a poor record in closing the gender gap compared to other countries.

“For too long, individual companies with significant gender pay gaps have been able to evade scrutiny and avoid having to address problems within their workplaces, which has led to women workers being undervalued,” it said.

“That is why this legislation to provide greater transparency is so important.”

‘Women should be paid the same as men. It’s as simple as that.’

– Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

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