JobKeeper Employment Law
Employment Law
COVID-19
Back in April, during the initial COVID-19 crisis, the Federal Parliament and Fair Work Commission made a number of unprecedented, temporary changes to employment law, to help both employers and employees adjust to the new situation created by the pandemic. The most important of these changes was the introduction of the JobKeeper directions into the Fair Work Act, which enabled employers to adjust employees’ work hours, duties and work location, among other matters. An employer’s power to issue JobKeeper directions was scheduled to end on 27 September 2020, but the Parliament has passed new legislation extending the scheme until 28 March 2021 for eligible employers and employees. Importantly, some employers will still be able to issue JobKeeper directions even if they are no longer eligible for JobKeeper payments.