Parliamentary Inquiry into the Digital Transformation of Workplaces

May 27, 2024

The House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training is conducting an inquiry into automated decision making and machine learning techniques in the workplace.

The Terms of Reference (here) include:

  1. the benefits for productivity, skills development, career progression and job creation in Australia;
  2. the role of business software and regulatory technology (‘Reg Tech’) in improving regulatory compliance in the workplace relations system, including their use by regulators, and accountability for errors resulting in non-compliance;
  3. the risks, opportunities, and consequences for the nature of work, including effects on hiring, rostering, work intensity, job design, wage setting, monitoring, surveillance and job quality;
  4. the effects of these techniques on the scope of managerial prerogative, labour rights, ability for workers to organise, procedural fairness, equality, discrimination, and dignity at work; and
  5. appropriate safeguards or regulatory interventions to guide responsible implementation in the workplace, including the digital skills and resources necessary for employers to appropriately utilise these technologies.
  6. the effects on gender equality, job security, small businesses, Closing the Gap and disadvantaged and vulnerable cohorts of workers.

Submissions are due by 21 June.  Submissions made so far are available here.