Subscribe Fair Work Australia - A new approach to creating balance in the workplace.all aspects of employment laws, workers rights and employer rights. AWA, minimum wage and employee awards will be revamped. 1st July 2009 Fair Work Australia Begins Small businesses are no longer exempt from unfair dismissal laws as the 2009-10 financial year ushers in a new industrial relations system. From today, the Federal Government's new Fair Work regulations will replace a raft of the Howard government's WorkChoices laws. No business, regardless of its size, will be exempt from unfair dismissal provisions. Under the new provisions, there will be greater powers for the new industrial relations umpire to enforce good-faith bargaining. Other changes include new standards for collective bargaining and the restoration of some safety net conditions. Chamber of Commerce and Industry spokesman David Gregory says one of the biggest changes is to the unfair dismissal laws. "The exemption that has been in place for businesses with 100 employees or less for the past three years comes to an end," he said. Mr Gregory says it is difficult for small businesses to keep up with all the changes. "We've seen the industrial relations pendulum now really swing back and forward several times over the past decade and it does make it difficult for businesses to keep up," he said. "But that's not an excuse. These are new legal obligations. Businesses do need to understand what they are all about. "They do need to be complying with the changes to these laws." Australian Industry Group spokesman Stephen Smith says the workplace relations balance has shifted. "The rights of unions and the power of unions is being increased somewhat," he said. Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) president Sharan Burrow says the new measures are what Australians voted for at the last federal election. Ms Burrow says WorkChoices is finally dead and buried. "It'll certainly be a celebration, but it's a day of course when unions get back to business," she said. "We have fundamental rights back in place. WorkChoices is off the agenda and people can go to work today knowing that they can't be sacked unfairly. "The unfair dismissal rights are back in place." courtesy of ABC news Fair Work Australia Inaugural Sitting The inaugural sitting of Fair Work Australia will be at 9.00 am on Wednesday, 1 July 2009 at 80 William Street, Sydney. Click here to watch it live. Media Statement - 30th June 2009 The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, has today announced that funding offers have been made under the Fair Work Education and Information program. As promised at the last election, the Government is facilitating a targeted education and information program to ensure employees, employers and small businesses understand the new workplace relations system. Following a competitive selection exercise conducted by an independent panel, 19 community, employee, employer and small business organisations have been offered a total of $12.9m in Fair Work Education and Information Program grants. A list of the successful applicants is attached. The bodies have been selected based on the ability to meet the requirements of the program as set out in the 'Fair Work Education and Information Program Guidelines for Applicants'. The Guidelines are available online at www.deewr.gov.au/newwrlaws Grant recipients will provide information and education services to employees, employers and small business operators about the Fair Work Act and how it will affect them. A key focus of this phase of the program is to ensure employers, particularly small businesses, learn about the new system and comply with it, including new aspects such as the Fair Dismissal Code for Small Business. It is proposed that a further round of the program be implemented in coming months with a specific focus on employees. It will cover the provision of information to employees about the new safety net (the 10 National Employment Standards and modern awards). This round will be implemented in the lead up to the commencement of the new safety net on 1 January 2010. Information and education services to be provided by the current grant recipients will include interactive online material in multiple languages; workshops; and a broad range of information materials. Details of the scheduled and publicly accessible workshops will be made available at www.fairwork.gov.au The Rudd Government understands that with any change of the scale associated with the Fair Work Act, there is a need for clear and reliable information so that small businesses, employers and employees are able to understand the changes to ensure minimal disruption. From 1 July 2009, www.fairwork.gov.au and Fair Work Infoline 131 394 will provide a 'one stop shop' for education, information and advice on all aspects of the new workplace relations system. This replaces an alphabet soup of agencies which were almost impossible for organisations and individuals to navigate through. These changes are the changes put to the Australian people at the last election and follow an unprecedented level of consultation with all relevant stakeholders. In the meantime, more information on the changes to the workplace relations system, including on Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman, is available at www.deewr.gov.au/newwrlaws Organisations offered grants under the Fair Work Education and Information Program Organisation Funding Offer ACT Chamber of Commerce $156 600 Aged and Community Services Australia $208 800 Australian Mines and Metals Association $435 000 Australian Chamber Alliance $2 548 000 Australian Council of Trade Unions $ 2 549 023 Australian Hotels Association $234 900 Australian Human Resources Institute $309 400 Australian Industry Group $1 911 000 Australian Retailers Association $400 200 Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation $217 500 Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia $2 220 000 Job Watch $364 800 Master Builders Association $282 100 Master Grocers Association $151 647 National Farmers' Federation $348 000 National Retail Association $217 500 Recruitment and Consulting Services Association Ltd $136 500 Restaurant and Catering Australia $130 500 Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce $69 600 TOTAL $12 893 070 FAIR WORK BILL PASSED! 20th March 2009 The Government has agreed that: Until 1 January 2011, the threshold used to define a small business for the purpose of applying the unfair dismissal arrangements will be less than 15 Full Time Equivalent employees. The number of full time equivalent employees is to be calculated on a straightforward basis by averaging the ordinary hours worked by all employees in the business over the 4 week period immediately prior to the employee’s termination, and dividing that by 38, being ordinary weekly hours. From 1 January 2011, the threshold used to define a small business for the purpose of applying the unfair dismissal arrangements will be based on a simple headcount of employees as provided currently in the Fair Work Bill and detailed in Forward with Fairness, Labor’s election policy. The amendment to the small business definition will be progressed through the Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009 when it is debated before the Parliament. The objects of the Fair Work Bill will acknowledge the special circumstance of small and medium size enterprises. This amendment will also be progressed through the Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009 when it is debated before the Parliament. A specialist information and assistance unit for small and medium size enterprises will be established within the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman. Senator Fielding will move the relevant amendments detailed when the Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009 is debated before the Parliament. For the full press release go HERE In January 2010 the 'Fair Work Australia' policy will begin, and the current 'Work Choices' industrial relations laws will be scrapped. The federal legislation will have a new approach to all aspects of employment laws, workers rights and employer rights. AWA, minimum wage and employee awards will be revamped. The current industrial relations system is in the process of a big shake up. This site is the place to find independant information and latest updates on the new FEDERAL LEGISLATION being implemented by the current Labour Government under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and employment secretary Julia Gillard. There are many pieces of information on the current workchoices policy including:- federal minimum wage minimum wage increase, awards rates, overtime rates, industrial relations laws, current minimum wage, unfair dismissal appeal process, workers compensation, federal wage rates arbitration discrimination AWA employee rights employment law Information is currently scattered across the internet. The aim of this site is to provide a hub of information for both workers and employers alike. All aspects of employment laws will be covered. It can be difficult to understand exactly how government legislation will affect employee rights and employers rights and obligations. We aim to provide a service which will assist to make sense of the new laws by having articles and official press releases available as and when they happen. Here you can find the answers you need for all your IR law, workchoices, fair work bill questions, aswell as links to all current state and federal departments relevant to current workchoices and the upcoming Fair Work Australia policy. Maybe you are looking for the current minimum wage or information on the federal employment laws. If the answers aren't here or you are having difficulty finding an answer then please visit our FAQ page

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Fair Work Australia - Changes to Workchoices Industrial Relations Law