This Month
Labor must be straight with voters: Kelty
Economic trailblazer Bill Kelty says the government should acknowledge that people are worse off than three years ago, as Labor makes contingency plans for a May election.
‘Oh, the irony’: Bosses chide Maurice Blackburn for lawyer shutout
Employers have seized on the union-aligned law firm’s shut out of its workers in response to a historic billing ban as justification for lockout powers in IR disputes.
CFMEU to campaign against Dutton despite Labor administration
Despite being under administration, a senior CFMEU officer has told members the union will campaign against Peter Dutton’s threat to deregister the union if elected.
ACTU targets blue-collar seats to protect Labor, defend IR gains
Unions will marshal thousands of activists to shore up Labor’s blue-collar vote in dozens of at-risk regional and outer-suburban seats.
February
Union officials appointed to steer Fair Work under Labor laws
The Albanese government has appointed four more union-aligned officials to the workplace tribunal as it gears up for the federal election.
January
Change to small wage theft claims could prompt ‘go away money’ surge
A departmental recommendation that employers pay workers’ legal costs if they lose underpayment cases of up to $100,000 has sparked business fears.
Assault on retail penalty rates may spread to other jobs: ACTU
A major push to simplify the retail award, backed by Coles, Woolworths, 7-Eleven and Mecca, has sparked union fears of a broader attack on penalty rates.
December 2024
Union warns it might back Greens as CFMEU goes to the High Court
Electrical Trades Union national secretary Michael Wright said the Greens had been on “the right side of history” on union issues.
The secret sting in the union membership surge under Labor
A union membership increase bucking a decade of decline is entirely due to public sector growth, concealing a new low in the private sector.
Union growth is back under Labor after a decade of decline
The ACTU says a return to collective bargaining under the Albanese government has helped unions increase their membership to 13 per cent of the workforce.
ACTU pushes for Labor to expand WFH rights
The ACTU is pushing to expand workers’ rights to challenge work-from-home refusals and raise the threshold for bosses to reject them.
October 2024
Mining union boss dismisses ‘blue-collar threat’ to ACTU
MEU president Tony Maher lashed the blue-collar union breakaway and condemned attacks on ACTU secretary Sally McManus that he said had led to death threats.
Greens join push to scrap junior worker pay rates
The Greens would push a second term minority Albanese government to abolish lower rates of pay for young workers in retail, fast food and pharmacy.
September 2024
The unassuming senator with Labor’s fortunes on his shoulders
Queensland is at the centre of two crucial elections in the coming months, and the personable Murray Watt might be the bridge builder who helps tip things for the ALP.
Why business is prepared to headbutt Albanese
The Albanese government is under siege from a business community alienated from Canberra and dismayed by the lack of an economic agenda to drive growth.
No retreat on IR laws, Albanese tells business
Labor and business will have to agree to disagree on industrial relations but, otherwise, they have a lot in common, Anthony Albanese says.
Kelty condemns Labor failure on economic growth
Trailblazing former union leader Bill Kelty says the Albanese government has no plan for economic growth and no appetite for the big reforms to secure Australia’s future.
BCA must speak out on Australia’s big-picture policy challenges
Some of the criticism in our story of the declining power and influence of an institution, whose meaningful voice helped reform Australia’s economy, we believe is merited.
Union redundancy fund war heats up
A major NSW fund has blocked members from transferring their money to the John Setka-backed Incolink fund in a fight to control billions of dollars in the unregulated sector.
From Beaconsfield to Bruce: Labor’s loss will be education’s gain
Bill Shorten will rival, if not supplant, Kim Beazley as the best prime minister Labor never had.