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The first workers' compensation law is passed in Western Australia.
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The Postal Workers Award was the first award in Australia. Many new awards have since been created.
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Prior to the 1920s, workers who were sick either went to work while ill or stayed home and did not receive pay.
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Paid annual leave allows full- and part-time workers to receive pay for time off work. For every 12 months worked, employees are entitled to 4 weeks of paid leave.
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A penalty rate is a higher rate that employees are paid for working specific hours or days that are outside typical hours.
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Employees who have worked for 10+ years are entitled to 2 months long service leave. NSW was the first state to introduce this, in 1951.
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The campaign for equal pay for women started all the way back in the 1940s.
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Before 1973, workers would have to work the entire day, no breaks. After industrial action, workers were allowed to take breaks for rest and meals.
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Leave loading is extra pay given to workers who are on annual leave, to cover for expenses during leave. The Metal industry was the first to secure a leave loading on annual paid leave, at a rate of 17.5%.
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As part of a campaign for safer working environments, unions managed to ban the use of asbestos in workplaces. Asbestos are minerals which can cause cancer.
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All workers were now entitled to a superannuation fund. Before 1986, this was not the case. As of 2023, the superannuation rate is 11%.
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Parents of newborn children were now entitled to 18 weeks' pay on the national minimum wage ($23.23/hr as of July 2023)