2010-2011-2012

 

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair Work Amendment Bill 2012

 

No.      , 2012

 

(Education, Employment and Workplace Relations)

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to workplace relations, and for related purposes

   

   

Contents

1............ Short title............................................................................................. 1

2............ Commencement................................................................................... 1

3............ Schedule(s)......................................................................................... 4

Schedule 1—Default superannuation                                                                         5

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                      5

Schedule 2—Expert Panel                                                                                               17

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    17

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009                                                  25

Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012                                                                      25

Schedule 3—Modern awards                                                                                         26

Part 1—Variation etc. of modern awards                                                          26

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    26

Part 2—Applications to vary etc. modern awards                                         27

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    27

Schedule 4—Enterprise agreements                                                                          28

Part 1—Enterprise agreements covering a single employee                      28

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    28

Part 2—Bargaining representatives                                                                       29

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    29

Part 3—Unlawful terms                                                                                              30

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    30

Part 4—Scope orders                                                                                                    31

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    31

Part 5—Notice of employee representational rights                                     32

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    32

Schedule 5—General protections                                                                                 33

Part 1—Time limits for making applications                                                    33

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    33

Part 2—The persons protected by the general protections                        34

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    34

Schedule 6—Unfair dismissal                                                                                        35

Part 1—Time limits for making applications                                                    35

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    35

Part 2—Power to dismiss applications                                                                36

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    36

Part 3—Costs orders against parties                                                                     37

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    37

Part 4—Costs orders against lawyers and paid agents                                38

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    38

Schedule 7—Industrial action                                                                                        39

Part 1—Electronic voting in protected action ballots                                  39

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    39

Part 2—Employees to be balloted in protected action ballots                 41

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    41

Part 3—Conducting protected action ballots                                                   42

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    42

Schedule 8—The Fair Work Commission                                                             43

Part 1—Stay orders                                                                                                       43

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    43

Part 2—Conflicts of interest                                                                                     44

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    44

Part 3—Referral of matters to Full Bench etc.                                                45

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    45

Part 4—Appointing acting Commissioners                                                       47

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    47

Part 5—Appointing the General Manager                                                         48

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    48

Part 6—Vice Presidents                                                                                              49

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    49

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009                                                  52

Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012                                                                      53

Part 7—Handling complaints                                                                                   54

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    54

Part 8—Engaging in outside work                                                                        59

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    59

Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012                                                                      60

Schedule 9—Changing the name of Fair Work Australia                           61

Part 1—Amendments to Fair Work legislation                                               61

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                    61

Fair Work (Building Industry) Act 2012                                                              131

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009                                                132

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Act 2012                          147

Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2009                147

Part 2—Other amendments                                                                                     162

Australian Crime Commission Act 2002                                                              162

Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986                                               162

Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave) Administration Act 1992          162

Defence Act 1903                                                                                                      163

Judges’ Pensions Act 1968                                                                                     164

Jury Exemption Act 1965                                                                                        164

Legislative Instruments Act 2003                                                                          164

National Health Act 1953                                                                                       164

Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978                                                165

Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993                     165

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006                           165

Paid Parental Leave Act 2010                                                                               165

Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973                                                                          166

Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012                                                                    166

Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910                                                  168

Social Security Act 1991                                                                                         168

Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992                                   169

Work Health and Safety Act 2011                                                                         169

Part 3—Contingent amendments                                                                         171

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                  171

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009                                                174

Part 4—Transitional provisions                                                                             175

Schedule 10—Other amendments                                                                             177

Part 1—Costs orders in court proceedings                                                      177

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                  177

Part 2—Technical correction                                                                                  178

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                  178

Schedule 11—Application, transitional and saving provisions                179

Fair Work Act 2009                                                                                                  179

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to workplace relations, and for related purposes

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1   Short title

                   This Act may be cited as the Fair Work Amendment Act 2012 .

2   Commencement

             (1)  Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provision(s)	Commencement	Date/Details
1.  Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table	The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.
2.  Schedule 1	The later of: (a) 1 January 2014; and (b) the commencement of item 1 of Schedule 4 to the Superannuation Legislation Amendment (Further MySuper and Transparency Measures) Act 2012 . However, the provision(s) do not commence at all if the event mentioned in paragraph (b) does not occur.
3.  Schedule 2	The later of: (a) 1 July 2013; and (b) the commencement of item 1 of Schedule 4 to the Superannuation Legislation Amendment (Further MySuper and Transparency Measures) Act 2012 . However, the provision(s) do not commence at all if the event mentioned in paragraph (b) does not occur.
4.  Schedules 3 to 8	A single day to be fixed by Proclamation. However, if the provision(s) do not commence within the period of 6 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent, they commence on the day after the end of that period.
5.  Schedule 9, Parts 1 and 2	At the same time as the provision(s) covered by table item 4.
6.  Schedule 9, Part 3, items 1339 to 1383	The later of: (a) the same time as the provision(s) covered by table item 4; and (b) immediately after the commencement of the Fair Work Amendment (Transfer of Business) Act 2012 . However, the provision(s) do not commence at all if the event mentioned in paragraph (b) does not occur.
7.  Schedule 9, Part 3, item 1384	The later of: (a) the same time as the provision(s) covered by table item 4; and (b) immediately after the commencement of Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Act 2012 .
8.  Schedule 9, Part 3, item 1385	The later of: (a) the same time as the provision(s) covered by table item 4; and (b) immediately after the commencement of the Fair Work Amendment (Transfer of Business) Act 2012 . However, the provision(s) do not commence at all if the event mentioned in paragraph (b) does not occur.
9.  Schedule 9, Part 4	At the same time as the provision(s) covered by table item 4.
10.  Schedule 10	At the same time as the provision(s) covered by table item 4.
11.  Schedule 11	The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

Note:          This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

             (2)  Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3   Schedule(s)

                   Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.