Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, said the Greens will move a series of amendments to the government’s industrial relations reforms to outlaw insecure work, by introducing a legal presumption that all employment is permanent and ongoing unless there are compelling, exceptional business reasons to the contrary. 

The Australian Greens Party Room has agreed to strengthen rules for Senators and MPs, making explicit a ban on sexual relations between any Federal Greens MPs and any Federal Greens staff members.
 
The Australian Greens and the Party Room already had very strong and extensive policies on sexual harassment and bullying and this update further strengthens those rules. These rules conform to community expectations and what is in place in workplaces around the country.
 

With JobKeeper payments set to drop from Monday 28 September, the Australian Greens have today released Parliamentary Budget Office-backed analysis showing it would cost less to continue JobKeeper at its current rate through to March 2021 than to bring forward tax cuts for high income earners by even one year, as is reportedly being considered in the upcoming Budget. 

As new infections increase again with many happening at workplaces, the Greens say there is new urgency to give every worker 14 days COVID sick leave, especially for the millions of Australians without any sick leave at all.

The ACTU has backed national sick leave, the Greens have a bill before parliament for 14 days’ COVID sick leave and the Greens will raise the issue at the COVID Senate committee hearings tomorrow.

The Greens have said that the Coalition government can’t be trusted to rebuild our vocational education system or create jobs, ahead of the Prime Minister’s address to the National Press Club today.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson for Education, said:

“Free TAFE and uni for all and new investment to rebuild publicly-delivered training in our TAFEs are the crucial first steps needed for any skills overhaul. That's the benchmark for the Prime Minister today.

With JobKeeper set for a $60b underspend, the Greens will introduce legislation to the Senate when Parliament resumes in June to extend JobSeeker and JobKeeper eligibility, as well as pushing for investment in jobs-rich recovery in arts and manufacturing.

When Parliament resumes at the foreshadowed May sitting, the Greens will move in the Senate to disallow the Government’s regulation shortening the notice required to change enterprise agreements, said Greens Leader and Industrial Relations spokesperson, Adam Bandt.

“The government is using a temporary emergency to make long-term changes to workers’ rights,” said Mr Bandt.

“I am worried about Liberal mission creep.

Too many workers don’t have leave entitlements to allow them to economically survive a diagnosis of COVID-19. Frontline staff in people-facing industries are among the most vulnerable, given the required interactions with hundreds of people a day, but often have few legal protections should one of these interactions make them sick.

Greens MPs are moving across the country to extend workers compensation coverage to workers who contract or are suspected to have contracted COVID-19.