Fair Work (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2009

Version No. 011

Fair Work (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2009

No. 24 of 2009

Version incorporating amendments as at
1 July 2014

table of provisions

Section Page

Part 1—Preliminary 1

1 Purposes 1

2 Commencement 2

Part 2—Reference of Matters 3

3 Definitions 3

3A Fundamental workplace relations principles 10

4 Reference of matters 10

5 Matters excluded from a reference 12

6 Termination of reference 15

7 Effect of termination of amendment reference or transition reference before initial reference 16

7A Period for termination of references 17

Part 3—Repeal of the Commonwealth Powers (Industrial Relations) Act 1996 19

8 Repeal of the Commonwealth Powers (Industrial Relations) Act1996 19

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SCHEDULE—Text to be Included in the Provisions of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act 20

Division 2A—Application of this Act in a referring State 20

30A Meaning of terms used in this Division 20

30B Meaning of referring State 23

30C Extended meaning of national system employee 25

30D Extended meaning of national system employer 26

30E Extended ordinary meanings of employee and employer 26

30F Extended meaning of outworker entity 27

30G General protections 28

30H Division only has effect if supported by reference 28

30J Application of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 28

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ENDNOTES 29

1. General Information 29

2. Table of Amendments 30

3. Explanatory Details 31

Version No. 011

Fair Work (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2009

No. 24 of 2009

Version incorporating amendments as at
1 July 2014

Fair Work (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2009
No. 24 of 2009

The Parliament of Victoria enacts:

Part 1—Preliminary

1 Purposes

The purposes of this Act are—

(a) to refer certain matters relating to workplace relations to the Commonwealth Parliament for the purposes of section 51(xxxvii) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth; and

(b) to repeal the Commonwealth Powers (Industrial Relations) Act 1996 and the Victorian Workers' Wages Protection Act 2007; and

(c) to consequentially amend the Long Service Leave Act 1992, the Public Sector Employment (Award Entitlements) Act 2006, the Outworkers (Improved Protection) Act 2003, the Public Holidays Act 1993, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, the Public Administration Act 2004 and the Parliamentary Administration Act 2005.

2 Commencement

s. 2

(1) This Part and Part 2 come into operation on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent.

(2) The remaining provisions of this Act come into operation on a day or days to be proclaimed.

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Part 2—Reference of Matters

3 Definitions

s. 3

(1) In this Part—

amendment reference means the reference under section 4(1)(b);

Commonwealth Fair Work Act means the Fair Work Act 2009 of the Commonwealth;

S.3(1) def. of essential services repealedby No.74/2009 s.3(4).

* * * * *

excluded subject matter means—

(a) a State subject matter; or

(b) rights or remedies incidental to a matter referred to in paragraph (a)—

except to the extent that the Commonwealth Fair Work Act as originally enacted so deals with the matter (directly or indirectly), or requires or permits instruments made or given effect under the Commonwealth Fair Work Act so to deal with the matter;

express amendment of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act means the direct amendment of the text of that Act (whether by the insertion, omission, repeal, substitution or relocation of words or matter) but does not include the enactment by a Commonwealth Act of a provision that has or will have substantive effect otherwise than as part of the text of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act;

S.3(1) def. of fundamental workplace relations principles insertedby No.74/2009 s.3(3).

fundamental workplace relations principles means the principles set out in section 3A;

initial reference means the reference under section 4(1)(a);

initial referred provisions means the scheduled text, to the extent to which that text deals with matters that are included in the legislative powers of the Parliament of the State;

S.3(1) def. of law enforcement officer substitutedby No.37/2014 s.10(Sch. item 60.1).

s. 3

law enforcement officer means a police officer, police reservist, police recruit, protective services officer or special constable within the meaning of the Victoria Police Act 2013;

public sector has the meaning in the Public Administration Act 2004 and, in addition, includes any person in the service of the State;

public sector body has the same meaning as in the Public Administration Act 2004;

reference means—

(a) the initial reference; or

(b) the amendment reference; or

S.3(1) def. of referred subject matters amendedby No.74/2009 s.3(1).

referred subject matters means any of the following—

(a) terms and conditions of employment including any of the following—

s. 3

(i) minimum terms and conditions of employment (including employment standards and minimum wages);

(ii) terms and conditions of employment contained in instruments (including instruments such as awards, determinations and enterpriselevel agreements);

(iii) bargaining in relation to terms and conditions of employment;

(iv) the effect of transfer of business on terms and conditions of employment;

(b) terms and conditions under which an outworker entity may arrange for work to be performed for the entity (directly or indirectly), if the work is of a kind that is often performed by outworkers;

(c) rights and responsibilities of persons, including employees, employers, independent contractors, outworkers, outworker entities, associations of employees or associations of employers, being rights and responsibilities relating to any of the following—

(i) freedom of association in the context of workplace relations, and related protections;

(ii) protection from discrimination relating to employment;

(iii) termination of employment;

(iv) industrial action;

(v) protection from payment of fees for services related to bargaining;

(vi) sham independent contractor arrangements;

(vii) standing down employees without pay;

s. 3

(viii) union rights of entry and rights of access to records;

(d) compliance with, and enforcement of, the Commonwealth Fair Work Act;

(e) the administration of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act;

(f) the application of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act;

(g) matters incidental or ancillary to the operation of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act or of instruments made or given effect under the Commonwealth Fair Work Act—

but does not include any excluded subject matter;

referred transition matters means the matters of the making of laws with respect to the transition from the regime provided for by—

(a) the Workplace Relations Act 1996 of the Commonwealth; or

(b) a law of this State relating to workplace relations—

to the regime provided for by the Commonwealth Fair Work Act;

scheduled text means the text set out in the Schedule;

S.3(1) def. of State subject matters amendedby Nos74/2009 s.3(2), 64/2010 s.20.

State subject matters means the following subject matters—

(a) a matter dealt with in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010;

s. 3

(b) superannuation;

(d) occupational health and safety;

(e) matters relating to outworkers (within the ordinary meaning of the term);

(f) child labour;

(g) training arrangements;

(h) long service leave;

(i) leave for victims of crime;

(j) attendance for service on a jury, or for emergency service duties;

(k) declaration, prescription or substitution of public holidays;

(l) the following matters relating to the provision of essential services or to situations of emergency—

(i) directions to perform work (including to perform work at a particular time or place, or in a particular way);

(ii) directions not to perform work (including not to perform work at a particular time or place, or in a particular way);

(m) regulation of any of the following—

(i) employee associations;

(ii) employer associations;

(iii) members of employee associations or employer associations;

(n) workplace surveillance;

(o) business trading hours;

(p) claims for enforcement of contracts of employment, except so far as a law of the State provides for the variation or setting aside of rights and obligations arising under a contract of employment, or another arrangement for employment, that a court or tribunal finds is unfair;

state of emergency means—

s. 3

(a) any state of emergency or emergency situation that is declared under an Act and includes any of the following—

(i) a state of emergency declared under the Essential Services Act 1958;

(ii) a state of emergency declared under the Public Safety Preservation Act 1958;

(iii) a proclamation under the Fuel Emergency Act 1977 declaring that a state of emergency exists in relation to fuel;

(b) any declaration or proclamation under the Public Administration Act 2004 that authorises a public sector body Head to take any of the following actions—

(i) assign any duties to an employee;

(ii) require an employee to perform duties with another public sector body;

(iii) require an employee to perform duties at a place other than the employee's usual place of work;

(iv) direct an employee not to attend for duty;

s. 3

transition reference means the reference under section 4(1)(c).

(2) For the purpose of a reference of matters under this Act—

S.3(2)(a) amendedby No.37/2014 s.10(Sch. item 60.2).

(a) the Chief Commissioner of Police under the Victoria Police Act 2013 is taken to be the employer of any law enforcement officer; and

(b) any law enforcement officer is taken to be an employee in the public sector.

S.3(3) substitutedby No.74/2009 s.3(5).

(3) Words or phrases in the definition of referred subject matters or in the definition of State subject matters that are defined in the Commonwealth Fair Work Act (other than in Division 2A of Part 1–3 of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act) have the meaning set out in the Commonwealth Fair Work Act as in force on 1July 2009.

S.3A insertedby No.74/2009 s.4.

3A Fundamental workplace relations principles

s. 3A

The following are the fundamental workplace relations principles under this Act—

(a) that the Commonwealth Fair Work Act should provide for, and continue to provide for, the following—

(i) a strong, simple and enforceable safety net of minimum employment standards;

(ii) genuine rights and responsibilities to ensure fairness, choice and representation at work, including the freedom to choose whether or not to join and be represented by a union or participate in collective activities;

(iii) collective bargaining at the enterprise level with no provision for individual statutory agreements;

(iv) fair and effective remedies available through an independent umpire;

(v) protection from unfair dismissal;

(b) that there should be, and continue to be, in connection with the operation of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act, the following—

(i) an independent tribunal system;

(ii) an independent authority able to assist employers and employees within a national workplace relations system.

4 Reference of matters

(1) Subject to section 5, the following matters are referred to the Parliament of the Commonwealth—

(a) the matters to which the initial referred provisions relate, but only to the extent of the making of laws with respect to those matters by including the provisions set out in the scheduled text in the Commonwealth Fair Work Act, as originally enacted, in the terms, or substantially in the terms, set out in the scheduled text;

(b) the referred subject matters, but only to the extent of making laws with respect to any such matter by making express amendments of the Commonwealth Fair Work Act;

(2) The reference of a matter under subsection (1) has effect only—

s. 4

(a) if and to the extent that the matter is not included in the legislative powers of the Parliament of the Commonwealth (otherwise than by a reference for the purposes of section 51(xxxvii) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth); and

(b) if and to the extent that the matter is included in the legislative powers of the Parliament of the State.

(3) The operation of each paragraph of subsection (1) is not affected by any other paragraph.

(4) For the avoidance of doubt, it is the intention of the Parliament of the State that the Commonwealth Fair Work Act may be expressly amended, or have its operation otherwise affected, at any time after the commencement of this Act by provisions of Commonwealth Acts whose operation is based on legislative powers that the Parliament of the Commonwealth has apart from under the references under subsection (1).

(5) Despite any other provision of this section a reference under subsection (1) has effect for a period—

(a) beginning when this section commences; and

(b) ending at the end of the day fixed under section 6 as the day on which the reference is to terminate—

but no longer.

5 Matters excluded from a reference

s. 5

(1) A matter referred by section 4(1) does not include—

(a) matters pertaining to the number, identity or appointment (other than terms and conditions of appointment) of employees in the public sector who are not law enforcement officers;

(b) matters pertaining to the number or identity of employees in the public sector dismissed or to be dismissed on grounds of redundancy;

(c) matters pertaining to Ministers, members of the Parliament, judicial officers or members of administrative tribunals;

(d) matters pertaining to persons holding office in the public sector to which the right to appoint is vested in the Governor in Council or a Minister (including the Premier);

S.5(1)(e) amendedby No.37/2014 s.10(Sch. item 60.3).

(e) matters pertaining to persons employed as executives within the meaning of the Public Administration Act 2004 or persons employed at higher managerial levels in the public sector, including Assistant Commissioners employed under Division 4 of Part 3 of the Victoria Police Act 2013;

s. 5

(f) matters pertaining to persons employed as Ministerial officers under Part 6 of the Public Administration Act 2004;

(g) matters pertaining to persons holding office as Parliamentary officers (but not persons employed as Parliamentary officers under Division 3 of Part 3 of the Parliamentary Administration Act 2005) or persons employed as Department Heads within the meaning of the Parliamentary Administration Act 2005, including the Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services;

(h) matters pertaining to—

(i) the transfer of employees between public sector bodies; or

(ii) the redundancy of employees of a public sector body—