AGP Executive Report

Workplace Relations: Inpex has asked Australia’s Fair Work Commission to stop protected industrial action at the Ichthys LNG project, warning further stoppages could disrupt pay talks and LNG exports. Tax & Cost of Living: Proposed changes to CGT, negative gearing and work deductions point to a major shift in Australia’s tax landscape, with new rules flagged from 1 July 2027/2028. Pay & Fairness: Canberra and Goulburn junior doctors can now access $25.3m in unpaid overtime back pay after a long-running legal fight. Gig Work & Rights: The ILO is moving to expand protections for platform workers, while New Zealand’s government faces criticism for voting against the move. Fraud & Compliance: An NZTA road-toll text scam case saw a woman jailed for using stolen card details to buy luxury goods and phones. Community & Inclusion: A Sydney Opera House pilot program is helping skilled refugees re-enter work, with one graduate landing a full-time role after years of struggle. Safety at Work: A tribunal has rejected a bus driver’s compensation appeal over a car-park fall, turning on where the workplace ends.

Youth mental health access: Allcove-style barrier-free youth centres are expanding, with Youth Advisory Groups helping shape services for 12–25-year-olds, aiming to intervene earlier than crisis-only models. Healthcare workforce planning: A push is growing to shift care from hospitals to primary and community settings, using multidisciplinary urgent care models to cut waits and improve system sustainability. Gig work protections: Uber has appealed a Fair Work Commission order to reinstate a driver and pay back lost wages, as the government moves to tighten how platforms handle sexual harassment deactivations. Workplace culture and AI use: A new study finds workers are losing hours “botsitting” to make AI usable, even when AI boosts productivity—highlighting training and process gaps. Housing affordability anxiety: New data is being used to calm fears of “negative equity” for first-home buyers, as price weakness concentrates in parts of Sydney and Melbourne. Skills and communication: Employers and educators keep stressing communication as a core employability skill, from writing and speaking to listening. Water infrastructure jobs: Victoria’s Western Port recycled water scheme (AUD 113.2m) begins construction, targeting more reliable farm water supply from 2028.

Workplace AI and jobs: The PSA warns governments shouldn’t use AI as an excuse to sack public servants, as a new report flags risks of automated welfare decisions shifting power away from humans. Police culture: A NSW Police review says bullying, harassment and discrimination are widespread, with many staff afraid to report. Public sector accountability: NT senate estimates questioned prison lockdowns and admitted there’s no proof current rehabilitation programs reduce reoffending. Parliament transparency: Australia moves to publicly identify lobbyists and corporate pass holders via a new online register and tighter access rules. Local jobs and growth: Construction has started on Queensland’s $68m Aura Hotel, expected to create about 150 jobs. Community and environment: ACT backs targeted grazing on conservation land to cut invasive plants and fire risk. Sports and careers: Adelaide Festival adds former Mitsubishi CEO Shaun Westcott and First Nations author Daniel Browning to its board after prior controversy.

Workplace Culture Benchmark: Pureprofile has become Australia’s first Certified PeopleFirst™ organisation, earning Gold certification for a culture model built on employee Belief, Belonging and Future Confidence—a shift away from perks-only scoring. AI Governance Pressure: A new report warns Australian firms are falling behind on AI compliance, with “Shadow AI” and rising privacy expectations (Privacy Act changes from Dec 10) creating security and data-risk headaches. Cyber & Hiring Scams: The FBI says it seized 13 fake consulting websites tied to Chinese intelligence that allegedly targeted unemployed people with security clearances via job ads—another reminder for recruitment integrity. Industrial Relations: Unions at WA’s Port Hedland say members have backed strike action at BHP’s Pilbara operations after months of stalled talks, raising the stakes for workplace bargaining. Defence Workforce Fallout (UK): UK Defence Secretary John Healey resigned over defence funding gaps, adding uncertainty for AUKUS-aligned capability planning. Energy/Deal Update: Amaero’s shareholder schemes are set to take effect, with ASX trading suspended ahead of the next corporate step.

Workplace Culture: A wide-ranging review says bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination in NSW Police are at “unacceptable” levels, with 30% reporting bullying and almost 1 in 10 reporting sexual harassment in the past five years. Media Jobs: Southern Cross Media will axe 250–300 roles as it resets costs after a Seven West tie-up and weaker TV advertising, with savings targeted at up to $150m a year. Early-Career Hiring: Australia’s digital ad and ad-tech sector is hiring fewer juniors, with entry-level roles at just 1% of vacancies and a record-low vacancy rate of 2.4%. Housing & Consumer Rights: South Australia’s consumer watchdog warns real estate agents could mislead buyers about serious defects, after cases involving major building issues. AI Trust: Australia’s public is among the most distrustful of AI, and the government is weighing Pope Leo’s AI concerns as it tries to balance opportunity with values. Regional Opportunity: Peter Jackson argues a Northern Territory AFL team could create Indigenous pathways and broader social and economic benefits, but funding would need to be innovative. Caravan Compliance: A Queensland woman faces potential council fines for living in a caravan due to the housing crisis, sparking calls for rule changes.

Workplace Tech & Productivity: A new Work AI Index says 87% of digital workers use AI and 75% feel more productive, but only 13% say it’s improved company performance—workers report “lost” time from tool-switching and rework. Cybersecurity & HR Data Risk: ServiceNow says a fixed API flaw could let unauthenticated attackers query some customer instance tables, urging admins to review suspicious requests. Corporate Governance: KPMG is accused of secretly accessing a whistleblower’s computer over two years and sharing files internally, raising fresh questions about legal privilege handling. Energy & Data Centres: Labor backs “triple-lock” rules forcing data centres to wind down power use at peak times to protect the grid. Education & Skills: Victoria will roll out mandatory year 1 numeracy checks next term, plus year 2 reassessments for students who missed last year’s phonics benchmark. Media Jobs: Seven Network faces up to 200 job cuts after its merger reshuffle. Super Rugby: Super Rugby Pacific will have no Australian teams in semifinals after early playoff exits. Child Safety Online: The Dutch government proposes tougher rules to treat child influencers under 16 as child labour, with potential fines for parents.

Job Market & Offshoring: Woolworths has started early consultations that could cut hundreds of corporate roles, with finance, HR and IT jobs potentially shifted to India and other Asian nations. Workplace Compliance & Tax: The ATO is warning Australians against incorrectly claiming personal expenses as work deductions, citing hundreds of thousands of community tip-offs since 2019. Housing Affordability: A new report says housing stress is worsening, with the average home loan now taking more than half of median family income in some states. Aged Care Tech: The Lookout Way has launched AI “agents” to reduce admin load in aged care, with human oversight and audit trails built in. Superannuation Rules: ASIC will enforce a new ban on super fund advertising during onboarding from July 1, limiting what can be promoted to help people choose better. Local Jobs & CBD Revitalisation: Adelaide councillors voted against extra funding aimed at boosting night-time activity and filling vacant CBD shops. Remote Nutrition Workforce: Australia’s “Good Food People” nutrition workforce is expanding in remote communities, creating locally employed roles to tackle food insecurity and chronic disease. Industry Support: Governments have added $105m to keep Nyrstar smelters operating while feasibility work continues for critical minerals jobs. Creative Industry: Recruiters warn adtech/digital is losing entry-level pathways, while Young Lions judges flag overuse of generic AI briefs.

Jobs & Workforce: Microsoft has cut hundreds of Azure roles in China, with affected staff told their positions end 6 July (severance by tenure, some offered relocation to Canada), adding to repeated downsizing rounds. AUKUS & Defence Support: A new US Navy support unit, Naval Support Activity Stirling, has been established at HMAS Stirling in WA to back rotational submarine forces under Navy Region Japan. Airport & Tech Hiring: Perth Airport has appointed DXC as master systems integrator for its new terminal, covering design, integration and commissioning of 70+ IT and operational systems (opening planned for 2031). Energy & Construction Jobs: CATL will supply 2.4GWh BESS for Edify Energy’s Queensland solar-plus-storage projects, with delivery targeted for 2028. Workplace Wellbeing: Melbourne Storm launches its inaugural mental health round, with checks for fans and Beyond Blue donations. Public Sector/Work Practices: Reports claim hundreds of UK civil servants were allowed to “work from beach” holiday spots, reigniting debate on remote work rules. Health & Care: Health Canada accepted Chiesi’s FILSUVEZ submission for priority review for epidermolysis bullosa wounds (accelerated ~180-day timeline). Corporate Leadership: Compass Group Canada & ESS North America appoints Gaétan de L’Hermite as CEO, with transition from Saajid Khan.

ABC leadership shake-up: ABC managing director Hugh Marks confirms he engaged a recruitment firm to find a new news director after internal disagreements with Justin Stevens, with Stevens saying he wasn’t told the search was underway before resigning. Workforce & inclusion: Australia and Papua New Guinea are partnering to make it easier for children with disabilities to access support and assistive tech, aiming to fix gaps across the whole help pathway. Housing pressure: Falling auction clearance rates are worsening conditions for first-home buyers, even with the First Home Guarantee, as buyers face higher mortgage costs and risk negative equity. Markets & jobs context: The ASX slid as materials and tech stocks dragged amid renewed rate-hike fears after a strong US jobs report, while consumer confidence in Australia fell again. Community volunteering: South Australia’s volunteering surge is strong, but volunteers are paying more out of pocket, with the State of Volunteering SA valuing volunteering at $45b. Media & youth work: Vinyl Group is buying Pedestrian Group, bringing youth media brands like Pedestrian Jobs under one roof.

Specialist Care Costs: Australia’s federal government has launched a parliamentary inquiry into the fees charged by specialist doctors, aiming to assess availability, cost and equity of access across metro, regional and rural areas—amid claims some practitioners are charging “outrageous” fees and pushback that Medicare rebates are “not fit for purpose.” Online Safety & Work Impacts: Canada is moving toward a social media ban for minors under 16, creating new compliance duties for platforms and raising knock-on questions for youth employment, education and digital access. Workforce & Skills Demand: An ADB study using millions of job ads (2019–2024) finds digital skills demand is spreading beyond tech roles across Asia-Pacific, with Australia among the countries analysed—useful context for Australian employers planning hiring and training. Life Satisfaction Pressure: KPMG research says Australians’ life satisfaction is lower than pre-pandemic levels, with financial stress and housing costs hitting hardest in younger age groups. AI & Reliability at Work: A digital signage industry piece argues display reliability must be proven after installation, not just in specs—highlighting the broader HR theme of training and support for long-term tech adoption.

Workplace Relations: Tennis Australia has lost a Fair Work Commission bid to have a dispute thrown out, with match officials Simon Cannavan and Karen Mak able to proceed with general protections claims after their officiating memberships were terminated. HR Tech & Payroll: Workday expands Workday GO to Australia and New Zealand, targeting midsize firms with simplified HR and finance operations plus embedded AI. People & Culture Awards: Inspiring Workplaces Group announces the 2026 Australasian Inspiring Workplaces Top 40, spotlighting PeopleFirst cultures across Australasia. Security & Hiring Risks: Five Eyes warns China is using fake job ads and job platforms to target people with access to sensitive information, raising new risks for recruiters and jobseekers. Economy & Jobs Context: Central bankers will watch consumer and business confidence surveys as sentiment drops amid the Middle East conflict and budget uncertainty. Honours & Inclusion: King’s Birthday Honours recognise LGBTQIA+ leaders and advocates, including Melbourne nephrologist Dr Dov Degen and WA HIV advocate Mark Reid. Market Mood: Asian shares tumble after Wall Street’s tech selloff and renewed rate-hike expectations, feeding into broader hiring caution.

King’s Birthday Honours: 949 Australians were recognised, including Natasha Stott Despoja for domestic and family violence prevention, mathematician Terence Tao, and posthumous paediatric researcher Katie Allen. Workplace Equality: Helen Conway (former Workplace Gender Equality Agency head) was honoured for gender equity and pay advocacy, highlighting the need to push for fair pay. Public Service & Customer Experience: Australia Post drew 4,300+ complaints last year, with delivery delays, lost items and “attempted delivery” messages topping the list. Digital Government: India’s e-Jagriti platform won a Silver Award for AI-enabled consumer grievance redressal, consolidating legacy systems and boosting case disposal rates. Employment & Skills: A report flags one in 10 UK graduates planning to leave for better job prospects, underscoring graduate hiring pressure. AI & Jobs: Commentary warns AI-driven redundancies are colliding with reality as companies cut roles and budgets. Aussie Travel/Branding: Virgin Australia launched a Toy Story 5 themed aircraft livery and onboard/airport activities.

Fair Work & workplace rights: Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth won’t rule out sacking Fair Work Commissioner Jennifer Hunt after controversy over her comments supporting “protect women and girls” and alleged past workplace conduct, while unions and Labor keep debating how far regulators should go. Union pressure in schools: Victorian teachers and the Australian Education Union are set to vote 15–18 June on an in-principle deal, with opponents warning it won’t fix unpaid overtime, workloads and pay. AI and the future of work: ACTU leaders are pushing for a three-day workweek, arguing AI-driven productivity should translate into shorter hours and better jobs, not just higher corporate profits. Workplace health & safety: Comcare has criticised ANU’s handling of psychosocial risks during the Renew ANU restructure, after a cease-work order and concerns about change-management impacts. Cost-of-living housing risk: Scott Pape’s Barefoot Investor flags the 2.5% single parent deposit scheme after a single mum says interest rates, strata fees and pressure left her near ruin. Employment policy politics: Rishworth also dismissed NZ PM Christopher Luxon’s “wrecking ball” CGT claims, as Australia’s CGT discount changes spark cross-Tasman backlash. Workplace discrimination & culture: AFL has referred Gold Coast Suns player Max Knobel over an alleged homophobic slur in a VFL match, continuing a run of similar integrity cases.

Workplace Rights Push: The Health Services Union is urging a new 12 days of paid reproductive health leave to be added to Australia’s National Employment Standards, arguing workers are forced to choose between treatment and their jobs. Fair Work & Pay: Australia’s minimum wage is set to rise 4.75% from 1 July 2026, with millions of award workers affected and fresh debate over whether the increase will add pressure to already strained industries. Sexual Harassment Fallout: A former EY intern alleges she was groped by a manager and then ostracised after lodging a complaint, with the matter playing out in the Federal Court in Sydney. Biosecurity & Jobs: Authorities seized more than 100,000 illegal exotic cockroaches from a commercial breeder in NSW, warning the trade can harm native wildlife and agriculture. Rail Skills Pipeline: Alstom won a contract to install digital signalling on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast line, with a new Centre of Excellence planned to build local rail apprenticeships and traineeships. Education Diplomacy: Bangladesh is expanding “education diplomacy” via global scholarships, research collaboration and technology partnerships—aimed at building international talent and human capital.

R&D Tax Pressure on Health Tech: Australia’s biotech and med-tech groups are urging Treasurer Jim Chalmers to rethink proposed R&D tax changes, warning the refundable offset limit could ignore how long it takes to turn research into life-saving treatments. Workplace Mental Health Training Goes Global: Quanta Services is piloting Australia’s MATES suicide-prevention approach in North America, aiming to adapt the peer-support model across union and non-union sites. Super Deadline Reminder: With 30 June approaching, advisers are pushing workers to check concessional contribution caps and ensure employer super is paid on time ahead of new “payday super” rules from 1 July. Digital Infrastructure Jobs Push: AirTrunk says it will invest about $30b (Rs 3 lakh crore) in India and build 5GW of data-centre capacity, positioning the move as an employment and supply-chain boost. Workforce Skills & Hiring: WrkPod, an Australian virtual assistant firm, is expanding across the Philippines’ Visayas with a target of 10,000 jobs by 2028. Industry Standards in Nails: A high-end salon group is challenging Australia’s nail industry norms by prioritising trained staff and hygiene, with gel manicures priced above typical walk-in options.

Workplace conduct: A radio boss, Guy Ashford, has been sacked after footage showed him groping a female presenter at an Australian Audio Awards ceremony, prompting an immediate employment termination and a search for a new general manager. Defence & procurement scrutiny: Navy chief Vice Adm Mark Hammond faced questions in budget estimates after revealing he was “directed” to speak at an AUKUS-linked Washington event, with critics saying the government needs to do more to explain costs and reliability. Energy jobs: Lightsource has broken ground on a Queensland solar-plus-storage project, expected to support 400–500 local jobs, as Australia pushes grid reliability through hybrid renewables. AI & finance risk: A report warns agentic AI is turning finance into a contested battleground, with adversaries able to subtly disrupt trading models and undermine confidence in risk systems. Immigration & removals: A UK case details an expensive, prolonged deportation campaign involving detention, solitary confinement and multiple flights—raising questions about cost and justification. Public health: Hong Kong is investigating a local measles case and reiterating vaccination as the best prevention. Skills & careers: A construction career guide highlights the White Card, trade pathways and practical steps for getting started in Australia’s building sector. Trade & exports: The Australian Fashion Council is preparing its biggest Paris Fashion Week mission yet, aiming to boost export-ready designers and jobs. Security & hiring scams: Five Eyes warns Chinese spies are using LinkedIn and job sites to target people with access to sensitive information.