Last modified on Mon 8 Feb 2021 19.13 EST
The Coalition’s industrial relations bill would punch a hole in the award safety net by allowing pay deals that leave workers worse off, academics have warned.
Despite the Morrison government claiming the omnibus bill does not facilitate pay cuts, a group of independent labour law academics has contradicted that claim in a submission to the Senate inquiry.
The group includes Adelaide law school’s Andrew Stewart, the University of Sydney’s Shae McCrystal and UTS’s Joellen Riley Munton.
Since its release in December, the bill’s most controversial provision has been a change to allow businesses to strike workplace deals that pay below award minimums if the Fair Work Commission believes it is “appropriate” in the circumstances.