How researchers are using data science to map wage theft
Professor John Howe and Timothy Kariotis
February 11, 2021
The underpayment of 7-Eleven workers brought wage theft to pubic attention. Source: Getty.
What started as a few underpayment cases revealed by the Australian media in 2015 has turned into an epidemic of ‘wage theft’.
Wage theft is the popular term that has come to describe “under-or non-payment of minimum wages and entitlements that are rightfully owed to a worker”.
Wage theft broke into the public consciousness at large in 2015 with a joint investigation by Fairfax Media and ABC’s
Four Corners into underpayment of 7-Eleven workers.
At the core of the opposition to the Government’s approach is the suggestion that the draft legislation and the insertion of the word ‘financial’ into best interests effectively reverses legal burden of proof for superannuation fund trustees.
Law Council of Australia representative, Natalie Cambrell said the LCA actually rejected the view that the best interests duty was in need of clearer articulation, particularly by legislation.
“Both the proposal to add the word ‘financial’ to the existing best interests covenant and the proposal to reverse the evidential burden of proof are not warranted,” she said.
Ai Group chief policy officer, Peter Burn said the approach taken in the legislation to protect member interests was poorly conceived and poorly designed.
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Unions and workers say a push from Anthony Albanese to place people in insecure work at the heart of industrial relations reform in Australia is long overdue.
But Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has criticised the proposed policy, calling it one of the most unlimited, unqualified, quite outlandish promises to be made in the country s history of industrial relations.
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Mr Albanese s policy push would include vowing to guarantee workers in the gig-economy the minimum wage and conditions through the Fair Work Commission.
He will also pledge action to address increasing casualisation in the workforce and the need to guard against the exploitation of employees working for labour hire companies.