What we learned, Wednesday 29 March
We’re going to wrap up the live blog now. Here’s what made the news today:
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has given the clearest details yet of how the Indigenous voice would work as the words to alter the constitution were presented to federal parliament.
Australia’s parliament has passed the country’s most significant emissions reduction legislation in more than a decade after the government won backing from Greens and independent MPs for a plan to deal with pollution from major industrial sites.
The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has called on Mark Latham to apologise for comments about the sexuality of fellow state MP Alex Greenwich that left the New South Wales environment minister, Penny Sharpe, “physically sickened”.
Up to a third of looming residential power bill hikes could be avoided if governments cracked down on electricity networks, research finds.
Human rights commissioner Lorraine Finlay has made a “serious error” that is “likely to mislead voters” by claiming that the Indigenous voice to parliament “undermines the foundational human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination” in Australia, according to five former human rights commissioners.
Thanks for sticking with us today. We’ll be back with you bright and early tomorrow morning.
Updated
Bosses can’t force staff to work on public holidays
Employers could land in hot water if they make their staff work on public holidays without giving them the option to take it off, AAP reports.
A Federal Court judgment has ruled in favour of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) going up against mining giant BHP. Three judges found that BHP had contravened the Fair Work Act by requiring employees to work on a public holiday as part of their regular roster.
The employees did not receive any additional remuneration for working those days.
Mining and Energy Union president Tony Maher lauded the decision as “a fantastic win for workers that restores genuine choice over working on public holidays”:
The right for workers to spend time with friends and family at important times of the year was traditionally respected by mining companies, however this has been eroded under pressure for non-stop production.
As a result of this decision, mining companies and all employers will need to be more respectful of employees’ rights to enjoy public holidays and come up with ways to provide choice.
– AAP
