Promising economic news has lifted the spirits of Australian consumers though businesses are more cautious and bracing for a lean six months ahead. The business sector has proved resilient to economic challenges locally and abroad, but recent polling by National Australia Bank suggests confidence and conditions...
Employees will now have the right to disconnect from work out of hours, after industrial relations changes passed parliament. Under the workplace reforms, employees will have the right to ignore unreasonable calls and emails outside of their rostered shifts. The laws formally passed federal parliament after the...
A four-day working week trial at Australia’s largest private health provider has delivered a marked drop in sick and carer’s leave among frontline workers. Stress levels have also reduced across all 250 workers in the first 10 weeks of Medibank’s six-month experiment, the insurer’s head of...
Saving for a house deposit is hard enough but it turns out other associated costs are soaring too, making home ownership more elusive. States and territories charge buyers stamp duty on most property purchases. The tax is up to six times more expensive than it was a...
Urgent, industry-wide changes are needed to help more women, Indigenous Australians and migrants thrive in science, engineering and technology jobs, and to help Australia take advantage of emerging markets such as renewable energy, according to a study. The findings were contained in the Pathway to Diversity...
Further entrenching the gender pay gap can be as simple as routinely asking job applicants what they earn at their current job, business leaders have been told. Winning support from the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, construction firm Lendlease no longer sets salaries based on what a recruit’s...