Employment in Australia 2005

This document is principally concerned with labour law, pay and employment conditions in the private sector in Australia. After reviewing economic and legislative developments, and providing a background summary to the Australian employment scene, the document divides into several sections:

• Section 1 presents the main organisations involved in the world of work and outlines their role in the system.
• Section 2 deals with recruitment, including regulations on work permits, the law on discrimination, employee resourcing, and selection procedures.
• Section 3 deals with the contract of employment, including permanent and casual contracts, and contractual rights and duties.
• Section 4 is concerned with termination of contract, including notice periods, severance pay, appeals and remedies for unfair dismissal, and procedures to be followed for collective dismissal on economic grounds.
• Section 5 outlines the structures and practices of industrial relations.
• Section 6 covers all aspects of pay ranging from the basic wage or salary to the main types of additional payments made to employees, together with key benefits.
• Section 7 covers working time, holidays and other time-off.
• Section 8 deals with retirement and pensions.
• Section 9 outlines the main additional costs a company has to face when employing staff.
• Appendices set out current statistics on price inflation, earnings, labour costs, income tax as well as summarising health and safety legislation.

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