Changes to the Fair Work Act – JobKeeper Wage Subsidy
The Fair Work Act has been amended to cater for the introduction of the JobKeeper Wage Subsidy. Although overriding any modern award, enterprise agreement or employment contract, these changes will only apply to an employer and employee that have been approved (and continue to be approved) under the JobKeeper Scheme.
NOTE: Although this article seeks to summarise the new changes, there are still some details that have yet to be finalised by the Government.
SUMMARY
Under the changes, an employer can give a direction to an employee (JobKeeper direction):
- requiring the employee to stand down without pay (completely or partially) for any period that the employee cannot be usefully employed
- making changes to employment arrangements for an employee, such as changes to the work to be performed, working days of the week and work location.
JOB KEEPER WAGE SUBSIDY
What is the JobKeeper wage subsidy?
The JobKeeper wage subsidy is a $1,500 fortnightly payment to subsidise wages of eligible employees.
To be eligible, employers must have a revenue reduction of 30% or more to and they are able to register with the ATO to apply for the subsidy (currently, employers can register their interest at the ATO Job Keeper webpage).
Some Fact Sheets from the Treasury can be accessed below:
For more information on how the Australian Government’s economic response could support you can be found by clicking on the following link Economic Response to the Coronavirus
And the Rules (and the associated Explanatory Statement) can be obtained from the following webpage:
JobKeeper Payment - Find our More - GERARD WILKES & Assoc
April 14, 2020 @ 7:31 pm
[…] If you’re an employer looking to apply for the JobKeeper payment, there’s no need to call us – check out the steps you need to take to get ready to receive the JobKeeper payment for your employees at JobKeeper Payment – More Info for Employers and Emoloyees […]