Industrial Relations Update | July 2026

What’s happening in July 2026?

This month’s Workplace Horizons update covers key workplace topics including wage changes, risks of unwritten workplace rules, legal implications of informal work norms and safety and behaviour standards.  

Recent Fair Work reforms like the Right to Disconnect, employment status definitions, Same Job Same Pay laws, wage theft criminalisation, and paid family violence leave are largely effective but need clearer guidance and outreach.  The ABS introduced the “u-series” for underemployment and underutilisation, revealing 1.43 million Australians underutilised in April 2026, with detailed breakdowns of employment rates and unused labour hours.