
Issue No 85		23 February 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

News

New Laws To Protect Carers

By Alison Peters

Employers will be required to provide workplaces where employees can take time off to care for family members, under laws to take effect next week.

The NSW Anti Discrimination Act has been amended to prevent discrimination against workers because of their carers' responsibilities.

This provision takes effect on the 1st March and brings NSW into line with other parts of Australia where similar provisions have existed for some time.

This is an extremely important advance for workers who have responsibility to care for children, elderly relatives or other immediate family members. It means that employers can no longer discriminate against workers who look after family members.

The new provisions also require employers to provide flexible work practices where it is reasonable to do so to allow workers to meet both their work and carers' responsibilities.

Unions have been promoting the need for family friendly work practices for some time. Caring for family members while working is a major issue for many union members. With 91% of two parent families having both parents work and an increasing number of people caring for other close relatives this is a good opportunity for unions to talk to members about what might be appropriate for their workplace to secure good family friendly work practices.

View entire issue - print all of the articles!

Issue 85 contents

Interview: Tony Abbott � Workers' Friend?
The new Workplace Relations minister relives his own union background and explains why he�s really just another worker at heart. Honestly.

Politics: The Politics of Petrol
Australia might be burning, but is it a fire that can be brought under control?

Organising: The Battle of Campsie
SDA delegate Maria Kavaratzis recounts how the Campsie Big W has been transformed into a union shop.

History: Scabbing Through the Ages
Neale Towart looks back at how popular culture has treated those workers who have not considered themselves part of the collective.

International: Diary of a Showdown
The Korean Metal Workers Federation recounts a week which culminated in violent attacks on workers outside the Daewoo factory.

Economics: Debt Dumping Campaign Enters New Phase
The millennial deadline might have passed, but Jubilee 2000 is not giving up the fight for debt cancellation for the world�s fifty-two poorest countries.

Health: The Real Drug Wars
As Africa attempts to deal with the HIV crisis, access to the medicines that can relieve victims� suffering is emerging as a major humanitarian issue.

Satire: Liberals Claim Triumph in Queensland
John Howard has claimed the Liberal Party�s decimation in Western Australia and Queensland as a triumphant vindication of his party�s embracing of the national competition policy.

Review: Beyond a White Australia
As we ponder the One Nation renaissance, a new book challenges the current debates around xenophobia and the perceived threat of danger from Asia.

» Labor To Move on Outsourcing Scams

» Opera Workers Join Freeloader Chorus

» Independent Eyes for Asbestos Deal

» Employment Records Must Be Protected

» Workers to Float Down Oxford Street

» Competitive Tendering Hits Welfare Sector

» Violence Hits Indonesian Dispute

» Locked Out, �Cause The Boss Won�t Talk

» New Laws To Protect Carers

» Acoustic Shock Cases Tip of the Iceberg

» Teachers Fed Gives Free Membership to Students

» Miners Union Calls for �Community Dividend�

» Hanson's Nursing Plan Bad for Health

» Refugee Plight Focus of NESB Network

» Unions Pause On New Safety Laws

» Heavy Handed Tactics Leave Speedo Workers Exposed

» Activists Notebook

» Vale: Charlie Fitzgibbon (1922-2001)