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WorkChoices: Howard Announces Details Of Industrial Relations Changes
Following a lockup briefing for industry representatives in Canberra this morning, the details of the government's industrial relations changes were announced.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, and the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, announced the changes, nicknamed "Workchoices", at a press conference.
Listen to the Howard-Andrews press conference (38m)
This is the text of a media release from the Prime Minister, John Howard.
WORKCHOICES – A NEW WORKPLACE RELATIONS SYSTEM
In May of this year I announced in Parliament the framework of the Government's proposals to reform Australia's workplace relations system. Today the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and I are delighted to release 'WorkChoices – A New Workplace Relations System' which explains, in detail, how the new workplace relations system will work.
The reforms that are detailed today are the next step in the evolution of a more decentralised workplace relations system. The reforms are major but not extreme. They are sensible and fair steps to further strengthen the Australian economy and bring forth the next wave of productivity improvement which will benefit all Australians.
A workplace relations system is only as good as the contribution it makes to the strength of the economy. All the regulations in the world will not save somebody's job, or push up wages, if our economy is weak or if firms are uncompetitive.
Through its reforms my Government has transformed the Australian economy into one of the strongest in the world. More than 1.7 million jobs have been created, the real wages of Australian workers have risen by 14.9 per cent, the unemployment rate is at its lowest level in 30 years and interest rates have been significantly reduced.
Today, as never before, Australia is a workers' market.
The Australian economy has come along way, but we can't stand still. More needs to be done.
Australia's high living standards rely on the productivity of our workplaces. Just as today's prosperity has been built by Australians working smarter over the past decade, so we must unleash a new burst of productivity growth to secure our future prosperity.
That is why the Government is committed to further reform of our workplace relations system. Legislation to give effect to our proposals will be introduced shortly.
'WorkChoices' has three major elements:
The introduction of a national workplace relations system for the first time;
The simplification of the agreement making process;
A better balancing of the unfair dismissal laws.
A new and totally independent Australian Fair Pay Commission will be established to deal in a less legalistic and adversarial fashion with such matters as minimum award wages.
For the first time, the Australian Government will establish a national system of workplace relations. The Australian workplace relations structure is too complicated with more than 130 separate pieces of industrial relations legislation, more than 4000 different awards and six distinct workplace relations systems operating across the country. For these reasons, the Australian Government is moving towards one, simpler national workplace relations system called WorkChoices.
WorkChoices will establish a simpler system of negotiating workplace agreements. All workplace agreements must meet as a minimum, the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard (this includes annual leave, personal/carer's leave, parental leave, maximum 38 ordinary hours of work and the minimum award wage).
When agreements are negotiated matters such as penalty rates and leave loadings can be the subject of bargaining. If the relevant award conditions are not specifically addressed in that agreement these conditions will continue to apply in the agreement. Such matters can only be modified or removed by specific provisions in an agreement.
The Government will also provide strong protection for those workers who continue to be covered by awards in the new system. The Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard (annual leave, personal/carer's leave, parental leave, maximum ordinary hours and minimum award wage) will only prevail over existing awards if the Fair Pay and Conditions Standard is more generous.
Long service leave, superannuation, notice of termination and jury service will not be able to be included in new federal awards but will remain in existing awards for current and new employees. Other existing award conditions such as penalty rates, overtime, public holidays and rest breaks will also remain in awards. Consistent with current Government policy some matters like union picnic days and trade union training leave will become unenforceable in awards.
Unfair dismissal laws cost Australian workers jobs. That is why the Australian Government will exempt businesses that employ up to and including 100 employees from unfair dismissal laws. In a business with more than 100 employees, an employee must work six months before they are able to claim unfair dismissal.
Protection against unlawful termination (termination on the basis of a discriminatory reason) will be retained. For the first time, eligible employees will be able to access up to $4000 worth of legal advice if they claim to have been unlawfully dismissed.
For further information on 'WorkChoices' an information hotline has been established. The number for the 'WorkChoices' hotline is 1800 025 239. A website has also been established at www.workchoices.gov.au for further information.
Filed Under: Audio, Howard, Industrial Relations Tagged With: John Howard, Kevin Andrews, WorkChoices
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The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra performed at Toowoomba's Empire Theatre for its fourth free community concert with much success and appreciation by attendees on Wednesday 8 August. The beautiful sounds of one of the world's finest period instrument orchestras spilled from the event as the ARIA award winning Australian Brandenburg Orchestra performed with passion and vitality. They were highly applauded by guests of all ages.


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Q: Is it possible in numpy to use advanced list slicing and still get a view? In other words, I want to do something like
A[[-1, 0, 1], [2, 3, 4]] += np.ones((3, 3))

instead of
A[-1:3, 2:5] += np.ones((1, 3))
A[0:2, 2:5] += np.ones((2, 3))

A: If I understand correctly, you can do what you want to do with the following:
A[[[-1],[0],[1]],[2,3,4]] += np.ones((3, 3))

However, the numpy folks made a function, ix_, to make it a little bit easier:
A[np.ix_([-1,0,1],[2,3,4])] += np.ones((3, 3))

I hope that helps.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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"Loop 'N' Link" was conceived as a series of serpentine, curving housing blocks that envelop residents in an array of diverse public spaces where people can share a sense of togetherness. Designed to a passive house standard, the team placed the social and physical well being of residents among the top priorities of the scheme, ensuring Loop 'N' Link would deliver a close-knit community experience while still seamlessly integrating with the existing surrounding neighborhoods.
Sunnyside Yards sits atop 180 acres of proposed development over the Amtrak, MTA and LIRR shared railway yard and depot between Queens Boulevard and Honeywell Street in Queens. The publicly owned transport site has been earmarked for 12,000 new affordable dwellings along with parkland and several schools, health centers, libraries and children's facilities.
The presence of the railroad yard, the rhythm of the tracks, and the need to span them efficiently with a repetitive structure, formed the fundamental guiding principles that informed our structural proposal, both at street level and above. The project's proposed structural systems succeed by being straightforward, repetitive, and economical, while enabling flexibility in the architecture above, each of which we see as being essential to making the development of Sunnyside Yards a reality.
Competition juror Enrica Oliva, Partner and COO of Werner Sobek New York says:
"The entries have shown a wide variety of approaches: it was a true reflection, in my opinion, of how architects and urban planners, along with their allies—the structural engineers and facade consultants—are looking at the challenge and seeking an opportunity to make a difference."
Daab Design
Metals in Construction and Steel Institute of New York, 2021 Design Challenge, Finalist
Rendering by

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl