Eric Abetz

The Housing Industry of Australia has welcomed the reinstatement of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and believes it is essential in boosting Australia’s productivity.

The federal government has today released draft reforms to its employment services model, including changes to work for the dole and $5.1 billion of spending over three years to deliver the programs.

The federal government’s Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption has recommended criminal charges against a number of officials from the CFMEU and Health Services Union, while the government has also released terms of reference for a review of the country’s workplace relations framework.

Two Western Australian Liberal members of parliament, Luke Simpkins and Don Randall, have announced they will move a motion to vacate the Liberal Party’s leadership, while Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he and deputy Julie Bishop would urge the party room to defeat the motion.

A scaling back of penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers on Sundays was among the major recommendations in the Productivity Commission’s draft workplace relations framework released today.