IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LEGISLATION - "WORKCHOICES" - CHANGES ON AWARDS

The Federal Government's Workplace Relations Reform legislation, to establish a new Australian workplace relations system called "WorkChoices", commences from Monday 27 March 2006.

The WorkChoices law applies to the vast majority of employers in the country.

If you are bound by state or federal industrial awards it is important that you understand that the nation's industrial award system will undergo significant change from the time of commencement of this new legislation.

The PDFs below outlines these changes.

 Click here to download Award information relating to WorkChoices as a PDF.
 Click here to download the information on records relating to employees and pay slips as a PDF.

The Federal Government's Workplace Relations Reform legislation will, by the end of this year, establish a new Australian workplace relations system called 'WorkChoices'.  These new laws are then expected to operate in early 2006.

The WorkChoices laws will apply to the vast majority of Australian employers.

WorkChoices will cover up to 85 per cent of employees across Australia, primarily, those employed by constitutional corporations.

Constitutional corporations are financial, trading and foreign corporations. This includes companies and incorporated businesses.

The majority of business are constitutional corporations.  If you're not sure whether your business is a constitutional corporation please call CCI's Business Advice Centre on 9365 7660 or email: advice@cciwa.com.

Employers and employees covered by the WorkChoices laws will not be regulated by WA employment laws, except for occupational health and safety, workers' compensation, trading hours, setting of public holidays and long service leave.

Employers that are not constitutional corporations - including unincorporated businesses in the State system and some State Government employees - will (where they are not already covered by federal awards or agreements) remain in the WA industrial relations system.

After a five year transitional period, non-constitutional corporations that are in the WorkChoices system (ie, non-constitutional corporations already covered by federal Awards or agreements), will revert to the State IR system unless they have become incorporated.

Businesses that are non-constitutional corporations can become incorporated at any time and they will then be covered by the federal 'WorkChoices' system of workplace relations.

 Click here to download WorkChoices as a PDF (212KB).