The inquiry was referred to the committee on November 27 last year by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Amanda Rishworth MP.

At its public hearing the committee will explore how minimum worker entitlements are operating in practice across different sectors and workforce groups. The committee will hear from industrial relations specialists, legal experts and sector representatives.

Committee Chair, Carina Garland MP, said the hearing would help the committee test the detail of proposals and evidence put forward during the inquiry to date.

"The committee is seeking to identify practical solutions, to ensure workers’ minimum entitlements remain clear, reflective of the evolving nature of work, and aligned with the intent of the Fair Work Act," Dr Garland said. "We encourage organisations with relevant expertise or a strong interest in these issues to contact the Committee about appearing at a future hearing on 30 July."

The committee will hear evidence from:

• Chifley Research Centre
• Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Indigenous Allied Health Australia
• Holding Redlich
• The Australian HR Institute
• Australian Council of Trade Unions
• Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association
• Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union
• Australian Services Union
• Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation

Further information is available on the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday 10 June 2026
Time: 9:30am to 3.40 pm
Location: Legislative Council Committee Room, Parliament of Victoria, Melbourne

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Members of the public interested in attending the hearing in person should advise the secretariat by June 7, to facilitate building access.

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THE Housing Industry Association (HIA) has today called for the Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill 2026 to be referred to a parliamentary committee "for thorough review and proper scrutiny, after the Bill was tabled in the House of Representatives with no prior consultation with industry,” according to HIA senior executive director for compliance and workplace relations, Stuart Collins.

“This Bill is being sold as a modest administrative tidy-up of the Fair Work Commission. It is not," Mr Collins said.

“It contains wide-ranging reforms with significant implications for the residential construction industry, procurement frameworks, workforce costs and the capacity of builders to deliver the homes Australians need.

“The Federal Government is making a bad habit of tabling substantial workplace relations reforms with no notice, no industry engagement and no consideration of cumulative impact," Mr Collins said.

“This is particularly concerning given the large number of legislative reviews currently underway that will impose future workplace relations reforms. HIA’s immediate concerns with this Bill are numerous.

“The Bill effectively fast-tracks the Commonwealth’s Secure Australian Jobs Code, which is still in the consultation and development phase and for which industry raised numerous concerns," he said.

“Further, while the reforms in the Bill are presented as routine, the practical effect is to entrench enterprise bargaining as the only workplace arrangement the government views as legitimate.

“The Bill also proposes to loosen the threshold requirements for unfair dismissal and general protections applications before the Fair Work Commission. Lowering the evidentiary bar for applications will increase the volume of speculative claims and drive-up compliance and legal costs for small businesses.

“HIA is also concerned about the Bill’s changes to the high-income threshold for road transport contractors, granting a specially carved-out threshold to allow access to Fair Work protections in one industry alone. If extended to construction, the ramifications for project costs and workforce management would be severe," he said.

“HIA is not opposed to practical workplace relations reform, but we are opposed to reform that is rushed, opaque, and designed without input from those who will carry its costs most, being the small and medium-sized businesses.

“The government has an ambitious housing supply target. Every piece of policy that increases cost, uncertainty or administrative burden on residential builders moves that target further out of reach.

“HIA calls for this Bill to be referred to a parliamentary committee for proper scrutiny, with meaningful timeframes for industry and community feedback and public hearings. This should also be deferred until the findings and government responses to other concurrent reviews currently underway have been handed down. The residential building sector deserves nothing less,” Mr Collins said.

www.hia.com.au

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TODAY, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works released an updated version of the committee’s 'Procedure Manual’.

The committee’s Procedure Manual is an official Parliamentary document that provides guidance to Commonwealth Government entities required to engage with the committee to gain approval for applicable proposed public works.

The Procedure Manual outlines the committee’s functions and responsibilities and the processes that need to be followed for the referral of major works, and the notification and approval of ‘Medium Works’.

The procedures outlined in the Procedure Manual are mandatory, and relevant entities must comply with these when planning applicable proposed public works projects.

The latest version of the Procedure Manual, Edition 9.7, includes technical changes in compliance with the regulatory requirements of the Department of Finance, updated language to more accurately reflect current committee and Parliamentary practices, and revised guidance around the expected per-square-metre cost for office fit-out projects that account for the inflationary impacts of recent years and reflect current market rates.

These updates also reinforce the stated expectations of the committee regarding entity requirements to seek the best value for money options when considering projects, as well as the requirement to engage with the committee at the earliest possible opportunity and to factor in flexibility regarding timing and processes for referrals.

Note: the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works is not involved in the tendering process, awarding of contracts or details of the proposed works. Enquiries on these matters should be directed to the relevant Commonwealth entities.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport’s inquiry into local government funding will hear from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and Geoscape Australia this week.

The committee wants to better understand from ALGA how local government can be supported to help deliver on national priorities across improved community wellbeing, reduced inequality, productivity and environmental protection.

The committee will also hear from Geoscape Australia to discuss its role as the nation’s location intelligence organisation, using location data to deliver geospatial capabilities and insights to support local government and business.

Committee Chair, Fiona Phillips, said, “The committee will be particularly interested in hearing ALGA’s views on whether existing funding mechanisms are working and to identify how funding arrangements affect local government’s ability to deliver services and local infrastructure.

“In regard to Geoscape Australia, the committee looks forward to hearing how Geoscape services can assist local governments with better infrastructure planning, climate resilience, energy management, and how to manage the damage from natural disasters such as flooding.”

Further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, is available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing

Date: Thursday, 4 June 2026
Time: 11am – 12.30pm
Location: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

A program for the public hearing is available on the inquiry website. A live broadcast of the hearing will also be available on the APH website.

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