FEBRUARY 2014 | HIRE
AND
RENTAL
NEWS
| 17
INDUSTRY IN FOCUS
By Chao Ni, Mason Sier Turnbull
With the election of Tony Abbott and
the Coalition, we turn our minds to the
proposed changes in the area of workplace
relations and their impact on the hire and
rental industry.
Fair Work framework
The Coalition, thoughout its election
campaign and since taking office, have
maintained the existing Fair Work
framework put in place by the Rudd
government will remain. However, we
expect changes will be coming to the Fair
Work Act 2009 and will take place over the
course of the Government’s first term.
Anti-bullying laws
From 1 January 2014, any worker who
“reasonably believes” s/he has been
bullied at work may apply to the Fair Work
Commission (FWC) for an order to stop the
bullying. The Coalition may introduce two
key amendments: workers must firstly seek
assistance from an independent regulatory
agency (such as their state’s work health
and safety body) before an application
to the FWC can be made; the scope of
workplace bullying will be expanded to
include the conduct of union officials
towards workers and employers.
The Australian Building and Construction
Commission
The Coalition will re-establish the
Workplace Relations under the new government
Australian Building and Construction
Commission (ABCC) to replace the existing
Fair Work Building and Construction
Inspectorate (FWBCI). The draft legislation
introduced by the Coalition, titled the
Building and Construction Industry
(Improving Productivity) Bill 2013, will
allow the ABCC to:
• Prosecute persons involved in unlawful
picket lines;
• Litigate for industrial breaches even
after a settlement has been reached
between the employer and the union;
• Apply to remove protections for lawful
industrial action if it is supported by
persons not directly involved in the
bargaining;
• Pursue higher penalties for breach (up to
$34,000 for an individual and $170,000
for a body corporate); and
• Require compulsory attendance at
interviews if the regulator reasonably
believes the person can give evidence
relevant to an investigation.
The ABCC’s new powers will also cover
the transportation of goods to building
sites.
Protected industrial action
Under current laws, employees are
able to obtain a protected action ballot
order even before an employer agrees to
commence bargaining. The Coalition will
introduce amendments to require as a pre-
condition to granting a protected action
ballot order, the FWC must be satisfied:
the employer has agreed to bargain or a
majority of employees has voted in favour
of bargaining; there have been genuine
and meaningful discussions between the
parties; and the claims by both parties are
‘sensible and realistic’.
Paid parental leave levy
The Coalition’s paid parental leave
scheme will be funded by a 1.5% levy on
corporations with taxable incomes over
$5m a year.
Delay minimum superannuation increases
The Coalition will delay increases to the
minimum superannuation guarantee rate,
scheduled to be increased to 12% by July
2019.
Given the Government does not have
control of the Senate, now or from 1 July
2014 when the newly-elected Senators
take their seats, the above legislative
reforms (at least in their current form) are
not guaranteed.
The HRIA provides workplace relations
support to its members through HRnet, a
complimentary service for members.
Visit
member-services/hrnet or call the hotline
support service - 1800 474 247.
HR
Delegate registration to
Australia’s HRIA national
convention is now open.
In response to industry
demand, the only exhibition
in Australia devoted to
all things hire and rental
industry related will offer
three full days of ands-on live
demonstrations and test drives as well as
three full days of exhibition display, all at
the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition
Centre (GCCEC).
HIRE 14 will cover a broad spectrum
of industries, markets, machinery and
equipment – offering face-to-face and
hands-on opportunity to see the latest
equipment and machinery in action across
industries including: construction, mining,
arbor and horticultural/landscaping,
excavating and earthmoving, road
construction, materials handling, facilities
management and events industry.
Three days of live demos at the only hire expo in Australia
29 April 2014 – 2 May 2014 - Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Back on the Gold Coast in
2014, HIRE 14 will offer a full
viewing platform of the live
demonstration arena on site
on the GCCEC’s northern lawn
and three halls of equipment
display including an indoor
events and marquee expo.
The national HRIA
Convention includes three days of keynote
speakers with seminar options every day,
creating opportunity for visitors and
delegates to catch up on the specialised
areas of the hire industry including
legislation, innovation,
Best Practice and pricing
techniques.
With key international
guests, key industry
delegates and visitors
across a wide spectrum of
related markets, HIRE 14 will
provide focused networking
opportunities for every visitor.
Topping off the three day event are the
Hire Industry Excellence Awards which will
bring attention to the outstanding and
high achieving members of the industry.
Paying tribute to the exceptional
standards of service and innovation
throughout the sector, the HRIA annual
awards cover seven categories, including
Rental Company of the Year, Supplier of
the Year and Access Supplier of the Year.
The Convention Delegate Brochure
with full convention detail on registering,
accommodation options and the
convention program is available
online now.
Contact the HRIA national
office: 02 9998 2255 or visit the
HRIA web site:
whats-on/convention to register
online or use the QR code (at
left) to go direct to register.
HR
