The Australian government has released an exposure draft of its proposed ten National Employment Standards (NES), together with a discussion paper. The NES will cover the key minimum entitlements for all Australian employees, to apply from 1 January 2010. These entitlements will be guaranteed in legislation so that they cannot be excluded or modified in a way that undermines the safety net.

The government is inviting employers, employees and the community to provide feedback on the proposed NES. The government welcomes responses to the issues raised in the discussion paper by 4 April 2008.