20 December 2011
Review of Fair Work Act
The recently appointed Minister for Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten, has announced that the review of the Fair Work Act would be conducted by Reserve Bank board member John Edwards, former Federal Court judge, Michael Moore, and workplace relations academic Professor Ron McCallum.
The review will examine and report on:
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The extent to which the Fair Work legislation is operating as intended including:
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the creation of a clear and stable framework of rights and obligations which is simple and straightforward to understand;
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the emphasis on enterprise-level collective bargaining underpinned by simple good faith bargaining obligations and related powers of Fair Work Australia;
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the promotion of fairness and representation at work;
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effective procedures to resolve grievances and disputes;
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genuine unfair dismissal protection;
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the creation of a new institutional framework and a single and accessible compliance regime; and
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any differential impacts across regions, industries occupations and groups of workers including (but not limited to) women, young workers and people from non-English speaking backgrounds; and
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Areas where the evidence indicates that the operation of the Fair Work legislation could be improved consistent with the objects of the legislation.
The panel will report to the Minister by 31 May 2012.