The Albanese Government's proposed Fair Work Act amendments will make it harder for businesses to engage casuals, and "radically alter" these employment arrangements, employer groups say.
Ahead of the Federal Government's next tranche of industrial relations legislation, an employer group has spoken out about the risk of redefining what constitutes a 'casual employee'.
The Federal Government is seeking feedback on a number of proposed Fair Work reforms, including strengthening anti-discrimination and adverse action protections, classifying casuals, and criminalising wage theft.
Business representatives are lobbying hard ahead of the Federal Government's third tranche of employment law reforms to ensure professional contractors don't get caught up in provisions designed to protect casual workers.
Consultation on the "more controversial parts" of the Albanese Government's proposed industrial relations changes will begin within days, with two tranches of legislation set to be introduced this year.
A high proportion of Woolworths casual employees have accepted offers to convert to permanency, making the organisation an outlier among the many reporting little change since the new conversion regime began.
After the Federal Government reintroduced pandemic payments for casuals over the weekend, Employment Minister Tony Burke has stressed that this topic highlights why addressing "insecure work" is a key priority.
The upcoming review of casual conversion rights presents an opportunity to "streamline" the process and address its "monstrous administrative burden", an employee relations specialist says.
