Public Consultation - National Employment Standards
The Rudd Government today released a discussion paper on ten National Employment Standards (NES) which contain the key minimum entitlements for all Australian employees to apply from 1 January 2010.
The NES will provide a simple, fair and flexible safety net for all employees, without the administrative complexity and machinery rules that are a feature of the current Work Choices system.
This expanded safety net of entitlements will not only benefit those employees who rely on it, but will be better for employers who will have a simple, straightforward set of minimum conditions that are easy to apply and comply with.
The Government is inviting employers, employees, and the community to provide feedback on the draft NES. This will ultimately make it easier for employees to understand, and for employers to apply.
The discussion paper outlines each of the ten NES entitlements in detail, and highlights particular areas that stakeholders and interested parties might wish to comment on.
The Government is particularly interested in hearing about the interaction of the NES with atypical working arrangements and the operation of the NES for those employees who are not covered by an award.
The Government welcomes responses to the issues raised in the discussion paper from interested stakeholders by 4 April 2008.
The Government will carefully consider all submissions received in developing the final NES to be introduced into Parliament later this year as part of the Government’s substantial workplace relations reforms.
The discussion paper is available on the internet at: http://www.workplace.gov.au Submissions can be provided electronically to the following email address: NES_comment@deewr.gov.au
While electronic submissions are preferred, submissions may also be mailed to:
Malcolm GreeningWorkplace Relations Policy GroupDepartment of Education, Employment and Workplace RelationsGPO Box 9879CANBERRA ACT 2601
Unless marked “confidential”, submissions will be treated as public and posted on the DEEWR website as soon as practicable.