Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter unveils casual work reforms

Casual workers were among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Now, big changes are coming to get Australians back to work.

Australia’s peak union has slammed proposed industrial relations reforms, saying they will take rights off casual workers.

The Morrison government will this week introduce the omnibus bill to help recover jobs lost during the pandemic.

Under its plan, a definition of casual employment will be introduced into the Fair Work Act, and casuals who work regular shift patterns for a year can become part time or full time, if desired.

It will also prevent casual workers who have been paid a loading from claiming back leave benefits in a court.

Christian Porter has been working with unions and employers groups for months on the bill. NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter said employers were delaying making hiring decisions because of ongoing confusion about the legal status of casual employment.

“With so many Australians still out of work, or doing fewer hours as a result of the pandemic, we cannot do nothing,” Mr Porter said.

“These are significant reforms which together will solve the problem of uncertainty, provide better avenues for job security, remove the burden of double-dipping claims and recognise employee choice.”

Casual workers were among the hardest hit by the downturn, accounting for more than half of the jobs lost at the start of the pandemic

But ACTU secretary Sally McManus said the changes took rights off workers and entrenched casualisation.

“It gives employers what they have asked for, that ability to legally label someone a casual, even if they are hired for a permanent, ongoing job,” she said.

“If an employer is unreasonable or does not offer them permanent employment, there is little they can do about it.”

ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the bill is a ‘huge missed opportunity’ to begin to make jobs more secure. Pic: Jane Dempster

She said it would also take away workers’ ability to claim leave entitlements even if they were incorrectly classified as a casual by their employer.

“This is exactly the opposite to what our country should be doing after a pandemic where we saw that leaving workers without basic rights like sick leave weakens both our economy and the whole community,” Ms McManus said.

But Mr Porter said the changes would strike the right balance on several issues.

“Getting Australians back to work has always been the sole aim of the government’s industrial relations reforms, and I would urge Labor to back our legislation in the interests of Australian workers,” he said.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke said the prime minister could not guarantee that no worker would be worse off.

“He refused, quite deliberately, to give any guarantee for people who are currently in work,” Mr Burke said.