Federal Icac to cover private contractors working for government, attorney general says

The Australian government has handed out billions of dollars of contracts to companies running major programs including offshore processing, Covid surge workforce and testing and employment services.

The comments suggest that federal Labor still favours a broad exemption allowing religious schools to discriminate in hiring, unlike the Victorian government, which limits this power to roles for which faith is an inherent requirement, such as principals and religious teachers.

In the speech, Dreyfus will recommit to legislate the recommendations of the Respect at Work report, including a positive duty on employers to stamp out sexual harassment and ban it in the Fair Work Act.

Dreyfus notes the Australian Human Rights Commission is at risk of having its global accreditation downgraded because of the way the Coalition made three appointments without going through an open selection process.