Secure Jobs, Better Pay workplace reforms become law

Key takeaways

The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act makes significant amendments to the FW Act, including:

• amending the objects of the FW Act to include the promotion of 'job security and gender equality';
• introducing an express prohibition on sexual harassment in connection with work and a new dispute resolution framework allowing applications to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to resolve sexual harassment disputes;
• introducing a prohibition on pay secrecy clauses and a workplace right to disclose (or not disclose) and ask about an employee's pay;
• limitations on the use of fixed term contracts;
• enhancing an employee's ability to seek flexible working arrangements and granting powers to the FWC to deal with disputes relating to flexible working requests, including through arbitration;