SEDA news and events
The Australian Government is inviting applications for projects to deliver services under the National Landcare Program – Smart Farms Small Grants Round 3.
Smart Farms Small Grants is an open, competitive, grant opportunity to support projects to increase farming, forestry and fishing communities’ awareness, knowledge, skills and capacity to adopt best practice sustainable agriculture.
The Department of Agriculture are enhancing Australia’s traceability arrangements across animal, plant and food industries. This will help with managing pest and disease outbreaks, food safety, trade and market access requirements, and address increasing consumer interest in product sustainability, ethics and providence.
You can now provide feedback on the draft guidelines and principles. These have been developed by a working group comprising of all state and territory governments and the Commonwealth.
'Have your say'- Complete the Property ID reforms survey here...
AGRICULTURAL employers have been granted new options by the Australian Taxation Office to move toward a single touch payroll system.
Although the 30 September deadline for small employers (19 or fewer employees) to move to single touch payroll (STP) has passed, the ATO wants to remind farmers – and all employers in the agriculture industry – that they have options.
STP is a new way of reporting tax and super information to the ATO, with employers sending their employees’ salaries and wages, pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and super information electronically each time they pay their employees.
The ATO recognises that employers in this industry have unique challenges, different ways of working and managing payroll, particularly if they operate a small farm with 1-4 employees or have a fluctuating seasonal workforce.
To support their transition to STP, the ATO has released concessions for employers in the agriculture industry – outlined in an information guide available for download.
Horticulture Showcase
It is now easier for you to understand your workplace rights and responsibilities under the Horticulture Award and the Wine Award.
The new Horticulture Showcase includes resources and information to help workers and growers find information about pay and entitlements.
The Showcase can also be translated in over 30 different languages.
Changes to public holiday substitution rules
On 4 October 2019, terms allowing an employer to unilaterally substitute a public holiday or substitute a public holiday with agreement from the majority of their staff will be removed from awards that contain them. Instead, employers and individual employees can agree to substitute another day (or part-day) for a public holiday.
Public holiday entitlements will apply to the substituted day for any employees that agree. For any employees that don’t agree to the substitution, the original public holiday will attract public holiday entitlements.
You can read the Fair Work Commission’s decision for more information.
Please note new changes:
All employees working on a public holiday, are entitled to be paid at the Horticulture Award Public Holiday rate of 200%. A direct excerpt from the award is contained below.
28. Public holidays28.1 Public holidays are provided for in the NES.
28.2 Substitution of certain public holidays by agreement at the enterprise
(a) An employer and employee may agree to substitute another day for a day that would otherwise be a public holiday under the NES.
(b) An employer and employee may agree to substitute another part-day for a part-day that would otherwise be a part-day public holiday under the NES.
28.3 Public holiday rates of pay—other than casual employees
All work performed on public holidays will be paid for at the rate of 200% of the ordinary rate.
28.4 Public holiday rates of pay—casual employees
All hours worked by a casual employee on a public holiday (both ordinary hours and any overtime) will be paid at a rate of 225% of the employee’s minimum hourly wage for his or her classification (inclusive of the casual loading).
NOTE: For provisions relating to part-day public holidays see Schedule E—Part-day Public Holidays.
Farms are one of our most dangerous workplaces. While some farm risks are obvious, some are not. This quick farm safety checklist will help identify how safe your farm is, and what you can do to reduce or eliminate risks.
This document tells you:
- what the law says about safe workplaces
- your responsibilities around managing risks on your farm
- how to rate risks on your farm
- how to prioritise and address the highest risk activities
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