Fair Work Australia has increased the minimum weekly wage by $19.40 (or 3.4 per cent). The increase starts from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2011.
For award and agreement free employees the national minimum wage for an adult is currently set at $569.90. After the increase this will rise to $589.30 per week, which is an hourly rate of $15.51.
The hourly rate has been calculated on the basis of a 38 hour week for a full-time employee.
A private members Bill that would have left the administration of the paid parental leave scheme solely in government hands, has failed to gain majority support.
From 1 July employers will start administering the Federal Government scheme on behalf of eligible employees who have worked for them for at least 12 months before the birth of a child.
Safe Work Australia has released a draft of the Model Work Health and Safety Regulations and Codes of Practice that will accompany the Model Work Health and Safety Act (the WHS Act).
The draft regulations and codes aren't in force yet, but they propose significant changes in areas that will affect all employers—including consultation and employee representation, falls from heights and managing the work environment and facilities.
From 1 January 2011 employee numbers—which determine whether you are a small business employer for unfair dismissal purposes—are based on headcount. Up until the end of 2010 employers could count employees by the number of ‘full-time equivalent employees' in their business. This calculation was based on the total ordinary hours worked by employees and was a complex but more generous method for small business.
We had been advised by WorkCover NSW that the NSW Bill to adopt the model Work Health and Safety Act would be introduced into the NSW Parliament by the end of October 2010.
The NSW Premier has now written to the Prime Minister seeking changes to the model Work Health and Safety Act. Unions NSW have long objected to two key provisions in the model Act which depart from current NSW OHS legislation; the reversal of the onus of proof and the removal of the union right to prosecute.