05.07.2013
In July 2013, a number of changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) took effect. These changes included an extension of the right to request flexible working arrangements to a range of employees, including where an employee is a carer, implementing a recommendation of the Access All Ages report.
In November 2014, the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association of Australia and New Zealand announced an intention to develop an industry improvement statement aimed at countering mature age barriers to work.
This initiative responds to recommendations made in ALRC Report 120 concerning recruitment industry codes and the promotion of practice in the recruitment of mature age workers (Recommendations 4–3, 4–4).
In addition, a number of the proposals made by the ALRC in the Discussion Paper, and recommendations made in the final report, are consistent with those later made by two other Australian Government reviews in 2013—the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth) Review Report (February 2013) and the Review of the Seacare Scheme Report (March 2013). Broadly, these reviews supported ALRC recommendations with regard to:
- consistency across Commonwealth workers’ compensation legislation and, in particular, the need to address inconsistencies in the Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992 (Cth) compared to the other two key pieces of Commonwealth workers’ compensation legislation;
- amending Commonwealth workers’ compensation legislation to align retirement provisions with the qualifying age for the Age Pension;
- extending the incapacity payment period under Commonwealth workers’ compensation legislation; and
- repealing superannuation-offset provisions.