Welfare raise deemed 'inadequate' by unions; government reaches media code agreement – as it happened
ACTU president Michele O’Neil says jobseeker changes not enough for people to ‘live with dignity’; social media giant reaches agreement with Australian government. This blog is now closedBrittany Higgins’ partner abandons Canberra job due to fears of paybackHiggins’ rape allegation has launched five inquiries. Here’s the breakdownWhen will I get the Covid-19 vaccine in Australia?Follow our global coronavirus live blog 8.07am GMT With that, I will leave you for the day. Here’s a recap of today’s news: 8.02am GMT The industrial relations omnibus bill has passed the House of Representatives 64 votes to 61. Independent MPs Bob Katter, Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie and Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie voted with Labor and the Greens against it.The bill fails to address the systemic issue of insecure work in Australia. In fact, the bill will make it easier for employers to casualise permanent jobs. It makes permanent changes to bargaining, making it harder for workers to win pay rises.The bill will also strip overtime and certainty from part-time workers the majority of whom are women, enabling employers to flex hours of work up or down with no penalties – effectively creating another class of casual workers.
