Workplace authority moves to placate business groups

The key federal workplace watchdog, the Workplace Authority, has taken the unusual move of appointing “account managers” to assist industry groups struggling to help members with the fairness test.

The Australian Financial Review reports that a senior Workplace Authority manager has already been put in place to manage queries from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

ACCI has been the only business group to consistently criticise the Government over the fairness test, claiming it is unnecessary and adds to the red-tape burden faced by business.

The Workplace Authority has also offered a dedicated account manager to a number of other industry groups including the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Retailers Association and the Australian Hotels Association, the paper reported.

Earlier this month the Workplace Authority revealed that it had processed just over 12,000 of more than 100,000 workplace agreements received since the fairness test was introduced on May 7 this year. The backlog of AWAs appears to be growing every month, with the 30,000 AWAs lodged in August outpacing the rate at which the Workplace Authority is processing them.