Education minister Jason Clare says he is ‘committed’ to introducing legislation as voice campaigning ramps up. Follow the day’s news live
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The federal government has vowed to act on criminalising wage theft by the end of the year after the release of a report that found university staff had been underpaid more than $80m since 2020.
In a statement, education minister Jason Clare said he was “committed” to introducing the legislation by the end of 2023, a key promise made by the Labor party during the federal election campaign.
Not everyone who is underpaid at our universities is a casual, but if you’re a casual you are at much higher risk of having your wages stolen. The brutal reality is that the corporate university of today can only function on the back of the unpaid labour of thousands of casual staff. That must change.
The government should require universities to set publicly available targets for increasing permanent employment, and link this to funding. There should be clearer reporting requirements with respect to employment statistics and improved rights of entry for trade unions.
The industry must consider substituting engineered stone with safer alternatives. In the interim, there should be a ban on cutting of engineered stone on site and a ban on dry cutting of stone, as is presently the case in Victoria.
Continue reading…Education minister Jason Clare says he is ‘committed’ to introducing legislation as voice campaigning ramps up. Follow the day’s news liveGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government has vowed to act on criminalising wage theft by the end of the year after the release of a report that found university staff had been underpaid more than $80m since 2020.In a statement, education minister Jason Clare said he was “committed” to introducing the legislation by the end of 2023, a key promise made by the Labor party during the federal election campaign.Not everyone who is underpaid at our universities is a casual, but if you’re a casual you are at much higher risk of having your wages stolen. The brutal reality is that the corporate university of today can only function on the back of the unpaid labour of thousands of casual staff. That must change.The government should require universities to set publicly available targets for increasing permanent employment, and link this to funding. There should be clearer reporting requirements with respect to employment statistics and improved rights of entry for trade unions.The industry must consider substituting engineered stone with safer alternatives. In the interim, there should be a ban on cutting of engineered stone on site and a ban on dry cutting of stone, as is presently the case in Victoria. Continue reading…