The Albanese government introduced new legislation to parliament last week that angered some employer lobby groups.Much of the public's attention was focused on Qantas as the airline endured another one of its public relations nightmare weeks.
It took attention away from the fact that the government's new industrial relations legislation and Qantas are linked in important ways.What is the legislation?The Albanese government says the bill is designed to close "loopholes" in industrial relations law that are used by some businesses to pay workers less than they're worth, and to endure worse conditions.
Part of the bill is delivering on the Labor government's pre-election pledge to regulate elements of the "gig economy." Specifically, it's designed to lift the pay and conditions of digital platform workers who have very little bargaining power, and are often paid poorly. The government says too many of those workers have died on Australian roads in recent years.