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Greens introduce work/life balance bill

THE Greens have introduced a new bill aimed at giving workers a better work/life balance and extending their rights to request flexible working arrangements.

Greens employment spokesperson Adam Bandt said the Fair Wok Amendment (Better Work/Life Balance) Bill 2012 would amend the Fair Work Act 2009 by extending the right to request flexible working arrangements to all employees and strengthening the right to request for employees with caring responsibilities.

The bill, if passed, would:

•    Give employees who have been in their job for 23 months enforceable rights to request flexible working arrangements, including the number of hours they work, the scheduling of those and the location of work;
•    Provide for employers to respond to a request within 21 days;
•    In the case of carers looking after another person, allow employers to refuse flexible arrangements only where there are serious countervailing business reasons;
•    For all other employees, allow employers to refuse on operational grounds;
•    Give Fair Work Australia the ability to hear and determine any disputes of an employer refuses a request.

The Fair Work Amendment (Better Work/Life Balance) Bill 2012 was introduced on 14 February.

To view the bill, click here.

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