28/04/2023 | Public Access
Migration Review The review of Australia’s migration system ordered by Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil was released on Thursday. The report is available here. The outline of the government’s migration strategy is available here, and was also the subject of an address by Minister O’Neil at the National Press Club. In...
28/04/2023 | Public Access
Inflation eases in March quarter, but is still very high There are clear signs that inflation peaked at the end of 2022 and is now on the way down. After rising strongly and steadily throughout 2022, the Consumer Price Index turned down in the March quarter 2023, falling to 7.0...
21/04/2023 | Public Access
The National Electric Vehicle Strategy with The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy ACCI had the pleasure of hosting the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, after he launched Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy. The Minister this week announced a new fuel efficiency...
21/04/2023 | Public Access
ICC Australia Banking Committee Plenary Session ICC Australia Banking Committee chair Hari Hariramchakraborthy opened the session followed by an introduction of ICC Australia and ACCI by Chris Barnes, an overview of ICC Banking Commission Tomasch Kubiak and an example of ICC collaboration presented by Chris Southworth and Mark Borton. The session was...
21/04/2023 | Public Access
Consultation Papers on Second Tranche of Workplace Relations Changes The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has released four consultation papers on proposed changes to the workplace relations system which the government will seek to introduce later this year: Same Job, Same Pay Wage Theft Extending the Powers of the...
21/04/2023 | Public Access
Jobs and Skills Australia On Monday, Natalie Heazlewood, Associate Director for Skills, Small Business and Innovation appeared before the Senate Education and Employment Committee review on the Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023 [Provisions], see transcript here. We used our appearance to call for an independent statutory authority, ACCI’s presence on the Ministerial...
21/04/2023 | Public Access
Review recommends major overhaul of the Reserve Bank This week the government released the long-awaited review of the Reserve Bank. It is the bank's first external review since it was given formal independence and responsibility for inflation targeting in the early 1990s. Importantly, the review supports maintaining the independence of...
14/04/2023 | Public Access
Workplace Policy Committee — References Committees ACCI’s Workplace Policy Committee has agreed to establish two new references committees to strengthen ACCI’s advocacy on workplace relations issues and to ensure greater consistency across the ACCI network. The WR Legal and Practical Guidance References Committee will focus on improving the coordination and distribution of...
14/04/2023 | Public Access
ICC Australia Banking Committee Plenary Session The ICC Australia Banking Committee will be holding a Plenary Session on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 5:00pm – 6:00pm AEST. The virtual session will briefly overview ICC Australia’s operations, an introduction to the Banking Committee, ICC Australia membership benefits and member engagement opportunities. The event...
14/04/2023 | Public Access
Jobs and Skills Australia ACCI’s skills unit has been fortunate to be involved in many activities relating to the formation of Jobs and Skills Australia. On Tuesday, we lodged our submission to the Senate Education and Employment Committee review on the Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023 [Provisions], see here. We used...
14/04/2023 | Public Access
2023 World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Workers' Memorial Day World Day for Safety and Health at Work, and Workers' Memorial Day, will be marked on Friday, April 28. This year's theme for World Day for Safety and Health at Work, set by the International Labour Organization, is 'A safe...
14/04/2023 | Public Access
Unemployment remains at 3.5 per cent for the eighth consecutive month The labour market remains extremely tight, with the latest labour force data from the ABS showing unemployment in March remaining steady at its 48-year low of 3.5 per cent for the eighth consecutive month. While data last month showed the number of job...
14/04/2023 | Public Access
The inaugural meeting of the Sustainable Tourism Advisory Committee (STAC) takes place this week. The committee has been established to set the agenda across the industry to provide advice and guidance to the tourism industry, and stakeholders, on sustainability initiatives and strategies for the sector. With the increased interest from travellers for...
06/04/2023 | Public Access
ACCI Fact Sheet — Rostering on Public Holidays ACCI has produced a fact sheet regarding rostering on public holidays following a significant Federal Court decision handed down last week. The effect of the Federal Court decision is that employers may be in breach of the Fair Work Act if they...
31/03/2023 | Public Access
Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023 On March 29, the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023 was introduced into the Federal Parliament. The legislation proposes to: insert a right to superannuation in the National Employment Standards clarify that the Fair Work Act applies to temporary migrant...
31/03/2023 | Public Access
DFAT Biannual Peak Bodies Consultations ACCI CEO Andrew McKellar spoke at the DFAT Biannual Peak Bodies Consultations yesterday. He focused on ACCI’s future priorities, including the need to continue diversification efforts, working to achieve more efficient trade facilitation and stepping up international engagement. UK Parliament approves Australia-UK FTA The...
31/03/2023 | Public Access
Apprentices and trainees data released The September 2022 quarter data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show there were 402,245 apprentices and trainees in-training as at September 30, 2022, 14 per cent higher when compared with the same time in 2021. However, closer examination reveals we are starting to...
31/03/2023 | Public Access
Vaccine Administration Partners Program (COVID-19 workplace vaccinations) Following the latest COVID-19 booster advice released last month by ATAGI, businesses and similar groups can use the Vaccine Administration Partners Program (VAPP) panel to facilitate workplace or community COVID-19 vaccinations for staff through a dedicated Enterprise Order pathway. The VAPP was launched in 2021...
31/03/2023 | Public Access
Inflationary pressures easing in February It appears that inflation peaked at the end of 2022, with the new monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from the ABS showing CPI falling to 6.8 per cent in February 2023 after reaching 8.4 per cent in December 2022. Inflationary pressures have eased since...
31/03/2023 | Public Access
Yesterday marked Global Meetings Industry Day, recognising the importance of business events across the world. The federal government took the opportunity to confirm a $2 million allocation to measure the impact and benefit of business events in Australia. The project is being rolled out in two phases, including the addition of new questions...