Creating jobs and skills in Australia

Our Fair Work reforms have delivered fairness for working Australians and are providing certainty and greater simplicity– but they’re also about lifting national productivity. The overall beneft to the economy of having the entire private sector covered by one national workplace relations system had been estimated as $4.8 billion over the next decade.

Federal Labor has also delivered a single set of rules for Occupational Health and Safety across the nation. Replacing 10 different acts and hundreds of separate regulations, this major reform, which eluded fve previous federal governments. This signifcant reform represents a $4.8 billion beneft to the economy over the next decade by reducing compliance costs and boosting productivity.

Our Consumer and Competition reforms are sweeping away inconsistent provisions in 17
Commonwealth, State and Territory laws and replacing them with a single national law. One set of rules for all Australian businesses and consumers, not 17. This reform alone, could according to the Productivity Commission, generate up to an additional $4.5 billion for the Australian community.

Federal Labor also reformed Employment Services to provide more fexible, intensive support to jobseekers, creating Job Services Australia to provide help people out of work with the skills and contacts necessary to get themselves job ready and get back into work.

Federal Labor has introduced Australia’s first national Paid Parental Leave scheme to support families and lift economic participation. It is available for eligible working parents of children born or adopted on or after 1 January 2011. It will provide payment at the National Minimum Wage - currently $570 a week before tax - is for up to 18 weeks and can be taken any time within the frst year after birth.
 

Creating Jobs and Skills in Australia Fact Sheet'