Find the latest news and updates relevant to you, a small business employer. This includes changes to workplace laws and new products or tools available.
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- New workplace sexual harassment laws
- Paid family and domestic violence leave
- Secure Jobs, Better Pay: changes to workplace laws
New workplace sexual harassment laws
6 March 2023
Workplace sexual harassment is prohibited under the Fair Work Act from 6 March 2023.
These new provisions expand protections from sexual harassment to protect workers, future workers and people conducting a business or undertaking.
The Fair Work Commission (the national workplace tribunal) also now has greater powers to deal with workplace sexual harassment.
These changes are part of the Australian Government’s Secure Jobs, Better Pay legislation.
Learn more at New workplace sexual harassment laws.
Paid family and domestic violence leave
1 February 2023
From 1 February 2023, paid family and domestic violence leave is available for eligible employees of non-small business employers (an employer with 15 or more employees on 1 February 2023).
The leave is available from 1 August 2023 for eligible employees of small business employers (an employer with less than 15 employees on 1 February 2023).
Until 1 August, employees of small business employers can continue to take unpaid family and domestic violence leave.
Learn more at New paid family and domestic violence leave.
Make sure you’re subscribed to email updates to be told when we’ve updated our information and tools for 1 August.
Secure Jobs, Better Pay: changes to workplace laws
7 December 2022
The Australian Government has passed the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022. This legislation amends the Fair Work Act to change several existing rules and introduces a range of new workplace laws.
Many of these changes started on 7 December 2022, but other changes started later.
For small business employers, key changes include:
- prohibiting pay secrecy
- giving employees the right to share (or not share) pay information
- banning job ads with pay rates that would breach the Fair Work Act
- giving more employees access to flexible work arrangements
- prohibiting workplace sexual harassment.
Find out more about these changes and when they start at:
- Pay secrecy, job ads and flexible work
- Gender equality measures and small claims process
- Enterprise agreements and enterprise bargaining.
Timeline showing key start dates for changes under the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022. Use your website browser to help zoom in. You can also access a downloadable version from Secure Jobs, Better Pay: changes to Australian workplace laws.