Ai Group's Head of National Workplace Relations Policy, Stephen Smith is responsible for workplace relations policy development and advocacy. He regularly represents industry’s views to governments and opposition parties, and in numerous inquiries and major cases. He is Special Counsel for, and Chairman of the Board of, Ai Group Workplace Lawyers, a national law firm operated by Ai Group.
The very topical issue of freedom of association and the role of unions and employer groups was the subject of the recent Ron McCallum debate hosted by the Australian Institute of Employment Rights. An edited version of the position on…
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The exceedingly generous and hotly debated Paid Parental Leave Scheme that the Government took to the 2013 Election has now been consigned to history. In its place, the new Fairer Paid Parental Leave Bill 2015 is now before a Senate…
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Now that the Productivity Commission has released a 1,000-page draft report and recommendations as part of its review into Australia’s workplace relations framework, the Federal Government’s response will be watched very closely – it has stated that any PC recommendations it…
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The Full Federal Court recently handed down an important decision on the interpretation of s.120 of the Fair Work Act. This section enables an employer to apply to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for an order reducing the amount of…
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This week, Ai Group had the opportunity to express our views to a House of Representatives Committee conducting an inquiry into inhibitors to employment for small business and disincentives to working for individuals. Small businesses with 1-19 employees account for…
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Do you, as an employer or as an employee, find it difficult to navigate and determine long service leave entitlements? Given the complex interaction between the relevant provisions in the National Employment Standards (NES), State and Territory laws and enterprise…
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During our consultation with member companies in the preparation of the Ai Group submission to the Productivity Commission’s review of the Workplace Relations Framework, we found a very common, major problem identified was that many companies are locked into unproductive…
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The long-awaited Productivity Commission inquiry into Australia’s workplace relations framework is underway, fulfilling an election commitment by the Federal Government for an independent review. The Government has stated that any recommendations emerging from the inquiry that it supports will be…
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The Victorian Government has abolished the Victorian construction code and implementation guidelines, and has disbanded the Construction Code Compliance Unit. Ai Group has expressed strong concern about the decision and has called for the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity)…
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Ai Group has successfully represented a member company in a dispute with the ATO over the meaning of Ordinary Time Earnings (OTE) for superannuation purposes – an issue with the potential to have significant financial consequences for many businesses. The…
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