Jobs + Skills Summit 2022

The Federal Government are expected to introduce a number of proposed legislative amendments before the end of the 2022 Parliamentary year resulting from the recent Jobs and Skills Summit.

The Summit Outcomes Paper offers and indication of the key amendments sought by the Labour Government including a number of amendments to the Fair Work Act. Some of the amendments include changes that will have dramatic implications for employers, and in some instances, the nature of the employment relationship itself. The federal government has proposed:

• Extended ability for employees to seek multi-employer bargaining agreements

• The ability to terminate Enterprise Agreements when bargaining is deadlocked or EAs have remained in place long past their nominal expiry date

• A tightening of the requirements for employers to discharge the Reverse Onus of Proof in General Protections claims making it even more difficult to disprove the alleged wrongdoing was because of a prohibited reason

• Potential broadening of eligibility for staff to request flexible work arrangements

• Simplification of the BOOT to emphasise overall benefits in terms and conditions

• Extending the powers of the Fair Work Commission to include making orders for "employee-like" relationships such as gig economy workers.

The Federal Government is expected to introduce a number of proposed legislative amendments before the end of the 2022 Parliamentary year resulting from the recent Jobs and Skills Summit.