Fair Work Commission Morning Tea
capricorn hosts bruce billson
Fair Work Commission Morning Tea
In April , Capricorn and the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals * ( BCCM ) hosted a morning tea for the Hon . Bruce Billson and researchers from the Fair Work Commission ( FWC ). Mr Billson , the former Cabinet Minister for Small Business , has been engaged by the FWC President , Justice Iain Ross AO , to formulate recommendations on how the FWC , its services and the laws and processes it adjudicates , could work better in meeting the needs of smaller employers . Various Capricorn Members and Capricorn staff were invited to provide their first hand evidence , ‘ field experience ’ and ideas to improve the way the FWC operates and communicates with small business . The Capricorn / BCCM ‘ roundtable ’ morning tea was part of a broader Australia-wide consultation Mr Billson is undertaking to assist in formulating his recommendation to President Ross . The Australia Chamber worked with BCCM and Mr Billson to ensure the Capricorn session was one of two opportunities for input and insights , alongside a CCIWA forum , when Mr Billson was recently in Perth , seeking feedback from small business owners across a range of industries . Capricorn was happy to be invited to host and to support any forum in which the voices of our Member businesses are heard in terms of the challenges of running and operating their business from an employment perspective . Feedback and suggested improvements provided to Mr Billson during the session included : - 1 . The Modern Award system being unduly complex and creating unnecessary bureaucracy ; 2 . The need for any claims lodged in the Fair Work Commission to first be assessed to determine whether the claim had any merit or was just an attempt to force small businesses into paying unjust compensation . Unjust claims being brought to an end ; 3 . For the Fair Work website and legislation to have a summary guide of obligations directed at Small Businesses , like with the companies legislation ; 4 . For the onus not to be on the business to show how in disciplinary situations , they had first let staff know not to engage in unsafe behaviours which were already just common sense ; 5 . The option for a “ no-fault ” separation based on payment of a notice period by the business to a staff member ; and 6 . The Commission website being easier to navigate in terms of industry specific decisions with an enhanced search capability . Mr Billson said the Capricorn-hosted session was very constructive and productive , and reflected his view that the overwhelming majority of small employers aim to do the right thing by their staff . “ Small business people want to do the right thing , especially by their staff – the team that can contribute so much to business success . Yet it can be harder than it needs to be , to do the right thing ” Mr Billson said
“ With small business accounting for more than 9 out of every 10 employers in Australia , we want to make sure the voice of small business employers is heard loud and clear in response to the invitation of President Iain Ross to suggest ways the Fair Work Commission could improve engagement with and work better for small employers . “
* Capricorn helped establish the BCCM and is a current Member . Greg Wall , Capricorn Group CEO was the founding Chairman and is a current BCCM Director . The BCCM is the national peak body representing the cooperative and mutual models of enterprise . Led by the chief executives of Australia ’ s cooperative and mutual businesses , the BCCM brings together the sector of businesses owned by members or formed to benefit members , with the common objective of increasing awareness of these models of enterprise .
22 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2017