Portfolio — 5 August 2026

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Amanda Rishworth, issued two media releases on 4 August advancing complementary strands of the government's workplace relations agenda. The first release announced a specialist Fair Work Court and a package of small business tax and compliance measures. The second committed $4 million to extend a program supporting women in male-dominated industries, with both releases converging on small business as their shared constituency.

**Fair Work Court and small business package**

The Minister announced the establishment of a specialist Fair Work Court to resolve workplace disputes more efficiently and reduce the burden on small businesses [TA-260804-dewr-184941c7c2d8]. The court announcement was paired with a suite of small business measures: permanent $20,000 instant asset write-offs, loss refundability for start-ups, and $14 million in funding for the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia to assist with workplace relations reforms [TA-260804-dewr-3d9e904fa57b].

The instant asset write-off and loss refundability measures cross into the Treasury domain, signalling coordination between employment and tax policy within the government's small business agenda.

**She Means program extension**

The Minister announced a $4 million investment to extend the She Means program, a COSBOA initiative supporting women in male-dominated industries [TA-260804-dewr-5a86b9bf44b2]. The funding expands the program from 30 to 120 small businesses over two years, building on an initial phase that delivered industry-specific toolkits and training materials. The Acting Prime Minister, Richard Marles, framed the investment within the government's broader economic agenda, stating the government is "committed to building an economy where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, succeed and get ahead" [TA-260804-dewr-5a86b9bf44b2].

The portfolio presents the extension as a practical mechanism to break down barriers, improve retention, and create clearer pathways for women in gender-segregated workplaces [TA-260804-dewr-5a86b9bf44b2].

**Synthesis**

Both releases converge on small business as the connective tissue. The Fair Work Court and COSBOA funding address the regulatory and compliance burden on small employers, while the She Means extension targets workforce participation within the same small business constituency. The appearance of Treasury-adjacent tax measures in an Employment and Workplace Relations release suggests a coordinated cross-portfolio package spanning employment, tax, and women's workforce participation policy.