No. 55, 2009
Contents
1............ Short title............................................................................................ 1
2............ Commencement.................................................................................. 2
3............ Schedule(s).......................................................................................... 3
4............ Regulations......................................................................................... 3
Schedule 1--Repeals 5
Workplace Relations Act 1996 5
Schedule 2--Overarching Schedule about transitional matters 6
Part 1--Interpretation of the transitional Schedules 6
Part 2--Regulations about transitional matters 12
Part 3--Conduct before WR Act repeal day etc. 15
Schedule 3--Continued existence of awards, workplace agreements and certain other WR Act instruments 18
Part 1--Preliminary 18
Part 2--Continued existence of WR Act instruments as transitional instruments 19
Part 3--Variation and termination of transitional instruments 26
Part 4--Transitional instruments and the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard 34
Part 5--Transitional instruments and the FW Act 35
Division 1--Interaction between transitional instruments and the National Employment Standards 35
Division 2--Interaction between transitional instruments and FW Act modern awards, enterprise agreements and workplace determinations 37
Division 3--Other general provisions about how the FW Act applies in relation to transitional instruments 41
Part 6--Preservation of redundancy provisions in agreements etc. 45
Schedule 4--National Employment Standards 50
Part 1--Preliminary 50
Part 2--Continued application of WR Act minimum entitlements provisions (other than wages) during bridging period 51
Part 3--Operation of the National Employment Standards 53
Schedule 5--Modern awards (other than enterprise awards) 58
Part 1--Preliminary 58
Part 2--The WR Act award modernisation process 59
Part 3--Avoiding reductions in take‑home pay 64
Schedule 6--Modern enterprise awards 68
Part 1--Preliminary 68
Part 2--The enterprise instrument modernisation process 69
Division 1--Enterprise instruments 69
Division 2--The enterprise instrument modernisation process 70
Division 3--Avoiding reductions in take‑home pay 77
Division 4--Application of the FW Act 80
Part 3--Amendments 81
Schedule 7--Enterprise agreements and workplace determinations made under the FW Act 89
Part 1--Preliminary 89
Part 2--Transitional provisions relating to the application of the no‑disadvantage test to enterprise agreements made and varied during bridging period 90
Division 1--Enterprise agreements and variations made during bridging period must pass no‑disadvantage test 90
Division 2--The no‑disadvantage test 90
Part 3--Other requirements and modifications applying to making and varying enterprise agreements during the bridging period 98
Division 1--Requirements relating to approval 98
Division 2--Base rate of pay 99
Division 3--No extensions of time 99
Division 4--State and Territory laws dealing with long service leave 100
Part 4--Transitional provisions to apply the better off overall test after end of bridging period if award modernisation not yet completed 101
Part 5--Transitional provisions relating to workplace determinations made under the FW Act 105
Part 6--Interaction with Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard during bridging period 108
Schedule 8--Workplace agreements and workplace determinations made under the WR Act 110
Part 1--Preliminary 110
Part 2--Transitional provisions relating to workplace agreements 111
Division 1--Transitional provisions relating to collective agreements made before the WR Act repeal day 111
Division 2--Transitional provisions relating to variations of collective agreements made before the WR Act repeal day 114
Division 3--Transitional provisions relating to pre‑WR Act repeal day terminations of collective agreements 117
Division 4--Transitional provisions relating to ITEAs made before the WR Act repeal day 119
Division 5--Transitional provisions relating to variations of ITEAs made before the WR Act repeal day 121
Division 6--Transitional provisions relating to pre‑WR Act repeal day terminations of ITEAs 123
Division 7--Transitional provisions relating to making ITEAs during the bridging period 125
Division 8--Applying the no‑disadvantage test where there is a transmission or transfer of business 128
Division 9--Miscellaneous 131
Part 3--Transitional provisions relating to workplace determinations made under the WR Act 133
Schedule 9--Minimum wages 136
Part 1--Preliminary 136
Part 2--Special provisions relating to FWA's first annual wage review 137
Part 3--Continued application of WR Act provisions about minimum wages 139
Division 1--General provisions 139
Division 2--Special provisions about transitional APCSs 142
Division 3--Special provisions about the FMW, special FMWs and the default casual loading 142
Part 4--Universal application of minimum wages to employees 144
Schedule 10--Equal remuneration 147
Part 1--Preliminary 147
Part 2--Equal remuneration orders under the FW Act 148
Part 3--Equal remuneration orders under the WR Act 149
Schedule 11--Transfer of business 150
Part 1--Preliminary 150
Part 2--Transmissions of business occurring before WR Act repeal day 151
Part 3--Transfers of business occurring on or after WR Act repeal day 157
Division 1--General 157
Division 2--Transfer of preserved redundancy provisions during bridging period 158
Division 3--Transfer of entitlements under the AFPCS during bridging period 161
Schedule 12--General protections 164
Schedule 12A--Unfair dismissal 166
Schedule 13--Bargaining and industrial action 169
Part 1--Preliminary 169
Part 2--Bargaining 170
Part 3--Industrial action 172
Part 4--Protected action ballots 176
Part 5--Effect of conduct engaged in while bargaining for WR Act collective agreement 179
Part 6--Payments relating to periods of industrial action 180
Schedule 14--Right of entry 181
Schedule 15--Stand down 184
Schedule 16--Compliance 185
Schedule 17--Amendments relating to the Fair Work Divisions of the Federal Court and the Federal Magistrates Court 201
Part 1--Amendments to the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 201
Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 201
Part 2--Amendments to the Federal Magistrates Act 1999 205
Federal Magistrates Act 1999 205
Part 3--Other amendments 209
Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 209
Part 4--Application and transitional provisions 210
Part 5--Jurisdiction of courts 212
Schedule 18--Institutions 215
Part 1--Initial appointment of FWA Members 215
Part 2--WR Act bodies and WR Act offices 218
Part 3--Transitional role for Fair Work Ombudsman and Inspectors 222
Part 4--Miscellaneous 225
Schedule 19--Dealing with disputes 230
Schedule 20--WR Act transitional awards etc. 231
Schedule 21--Clothing Trades Award 1999 235
Schedule 22--Registered organisations 236
Part 1--Main amendments 236
Workplace Relations Act 1996 236
Part 2--State and federal organisations 249
Workplace Relations Act 1996 249
Part 3--Representation orders 261
Workplace Relations Act 1996 261
Part 4--References to Schedules to the Workplace Relations Act 267
Workplace Relations Act 1996 267
Part 5--References to the Workplace Relations Act etc. 276
Workplace Relations Act 1996 276
Part 6--References to the Commission etc. 284
Workplace Relations Act 1996 284
Part 7--References to the Registrar etc. 298
Workplace Relations Act 1996 298
Part 8--References to awards and collective agreements 314
Workplace Relations Act 1996 314
Part 9--Transitional provisions etc. 318
Schedule 23--Other amendments of the FW Act 322
Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2009
No. 55, 2009
An Act to amend laws, and deal with transitional matters, in connection with the Fair Work Act 2009, and for other purposes
[Assented to 25 June 2009]
The Parliament of Australia enacts: