There is a tendency for laws, rules, regulations and obligations to change or take effect from July 1 (aka the financial New Year) in Australia. So what is changing in Australia today, July 1 2015?
Minimum wages in awards, as well as the national minimum wage have increased by 2.5 percent by the Fair Work Commission. The new minimum wage for a full-time adult employee is $656.90 per week or $17.29 per hour. The Fair Work Ombudsman have published information on the minimum wage increase, including answering frequently asked questions and who isn’t guaranteed a wage increase in their June newsletter, which can be read in full here.
SuperStream for small businesses with 19 employees or less commences today. These small businesses have until 30 June 2016 to meet SuperStream requirements. You can find more information on SuperStream here.
The Australian Apprenticeship Support Network commences today. The Network aims to increase apprenticeship completion rates (current completion rates are approximately 50 percent). It will do this by giving apprentices the best opportunities to get a job, as well as providing employers with the qualified and productive apprentices they need for their businesses. Access to the Network for both apprentices and businesses comes at no cost.
The Australian Small Business Commissioner have also published a blog post on what is changing on and from today in regards to tax, superannuation, employment and ASIC registration fees. The blog post covers changes on and from today, including but not limited to tax cuts & deductions for businesses with a turnover of under $2 million and Jobactive replacing Job Services Australia.
Fees for Drivers Licences in Queensland have increased. The fee increase for individual drivers is dependent on the type of licence they are holding and how long their licence is valid for, the increases range from an extra $2.40 to $5.40. The 2015 fees can be viewed in full here.