Workplace Relations Amendment Act 1998 (Qld)

Queensland WORKPLACE RELATIONS AMENDMENT ACT 1998 Act No. 32 of 1998

Queensland WORKPLACE RELATIONS AMENDMENT ACT 1998 TABLE OF PROVISIONS Section Page 1 Short title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 Acts amended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3 Amendment of s 30 (Effect of a certified agreement in relation to awards and other agreements) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 Amendment of s 74 (Employer and employee may make a QWA) . . . . . . 4 5 Amendment of s 81 (Filing QWAs and ancillary documents) . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6 Amendment of s 84 (Additional approval requirements for QWA and ancillary documents) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 7 Amendment of s 85 (Approving QWA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 8 Amendment of s 86 (Approving amendment agreement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 9 Omission of s 108 (Hearings to be in private) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 10 Omission of s 109 (Identity of QWA parties not to be disclosed) . . . . . . . . 7 11 Amendment of s 111 (Reports and advice about development in making QWAs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 12 Amendment of s 115 (Definitions for pt 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 13 Amendment of s 127 (Making, amending and repealing awards) . . . . . . . . 7 14 Amendment of s 128 (Allowable award matters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 15 Amendment of s 129 (Limitation on commission’s powers for awards) . . . 8 16 Omission of ss 130 and 131 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 17 Amendment of s 132 (General rulings) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 18 Amendment of s 133 (Inclusion of enterprise flexibility provisions in awards) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 19 Amendment of s 287 (Commission’s functions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 20 Amendment of s 300 (Statement of policy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 21 Replacement of ch hdg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 22 Omission of ch 16, pts 1 and 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 23 Omission of s 509 (Section 55(4) awards and exceptional matters orders prevail over pre and post commencement certified agreements) . . . 10 24 Replacement of s 512 (EFA displaced by certain awards or orders) . . . . . 10 512 EFA displaced by certain awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 25 Insertion of new ch 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 CHAPTER 17—SAVINGS AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR WORKPLACE RELATIONS AMENDMENT ACT 1998 520 Preservation of certain general conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 SCHEDULE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 AMENDMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS (PROTECTION FROM INVALIDITIES) ACT 1991

Queensland Workplace Relations Amendment Act 1998 Act No. 32 of 1998 An Act to amend the Workplace Relations Act 1997 and the IndustrialRelations (Protection from Invalidities) Act 1991 [Assented to 3 September 1998]

s1 4 Workplace Relations Amendment The Parliament of Queensland enacts— s5 No. 32, 1998 ˙ Short title 1. This Act may be cited as the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 1998 . ˙ Acts amended 2.(1) This Act, other than the schedule, amends the Workplace RelationsAct 1997 . (2) The schedule amends the IndustrialRelations(ProtectionfromInvalidities) Act 1991 . ˙ Amendment of s 30 (Effect of a certified agreement in relation to awards and other agreements) 3. Section 30(2)— omit. ˙ Amendment of s 74 (Employer and employee may make a QWA) 4. Section 74— insert— ‘ (4) The employer may not make a QWA with an employee who is not an adult.’. ˙ Amendment of s 81 (Filing QWAs and ancillary documents) 5. Section 81(5)— omit.

s6 5 s7 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 ˙ Amendment of s 84 (Additional approval requirements for QWA and ancillary documents) 6.(1) Section 84(1)— insert— ‘(e) if the employer did not offer a QWA in the same terms to all comparable employees—the employer did not act unfairly or unreasonably in not doing so.’. (2) Section 84(3)— insert— ‘(e) if the employer did not offer an amendment agreement in the same terms to all comparable employees who also have a QWA in the same terms—the employer did not act unfairly or unreasonably in not doing so.’. (3) Section 84(7)— omit, insert— ‘ (7) In this section— “comparable employee” , for a QWA, means an employee of the employer who does the same kind of work as the employee who is a party to the QWA. “required number of days” means— (a) for a new employee—5 days; or (b) for an existing employee—14 days.’. ˙ Amendment of s 85 (Approving QWA) 7.(1) Section 85(1)— insert— ‘(c) the QWA is not contrary to the public interest.’. (2) Section 85— insert—

s8 6 s8 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 ‘ (6) In considering the public interest, the enterprise commissioner may consider— (a) the relative bargaining power of the parties; and (b) the particular circumstances and needs of low paid workers and any likely changes in the safety net of minimum wages during the period of the QWA; and (c) the particular circumstances and needs of workers including women, persons from a non-English-speaking background, young persons, apprentices, trainees and outworkers; and (d) anything else the enterprise commissioner considers relevant to the QWA.’. ˙ Amendment of s 86 (Approving amendment agreement) 8.(1) Section 86(1)— insert— ‘(c) the QWA is not contrary to the public interest.’. (2) Section 86— insert— ‘ (5) In considering the public interest, the enterprise commissioner may consider— (a) the relative bargaining power of the parties; and (b) the particular circumstances and needs of low paid workers and any likely changes in the safety net of minimum wages during the period of the agreement; and (c) the particular circumstances and needs of workers including women, persons from a non-English-speaking background, young persons, apprentices, trainees and outworkers; and (d) anything else the enterprise commissioner considers relevant to the agreement.’.

s 9 7 s 14 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 ˙ Omission of s 108 (Hearings to be in private) 9. Section 108— omit. ˙ Omission of s 109 (Identity of QWA parties not to be disclosed) 10. Section 109— omit. ˙ Amendment of s 111 (Reports and advice about development in making QWAs) 11. Section 111(3)— omit. ˙ Amendment of s 115 (Definitions for pt 3) 12. Section 115, definition “award” — omit, insert— ‘ “award” includes an award under the Commonwealth Act, part VIE.’. ˙ Amendment of s 127 (Making, amending and repealing awards) 13.(1) Section 127(2)— omit. (2) Section 127(3)— renumber as section 127(2). ˙ Amendment of s 128 (Allowable award matters) 14.(1) Section 128, heading— omit.

s 15 8 s 16 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 (2) Section 128(1)— omit. (3) Section 128(2), ‘for an allowable award matter’— omit. (4) Section 128(2)— relocate and renumber as section 127(3). (5) Section 128(3) to (5)— omit. ˙ Amendment of s 129 (Limitation on commission’s powers for awards) 15.(1) Section 129(1)— omit. (2) Section 129(2), ‘in relation to matters covered by section 128(1)(r)’— omit. (3) Section 129(3), ‘Subsection (2)(b)’— omit, insert— ‘Subsection (1)(b)’. (4) Section 129(2) to (8)— renumber as section 129(1) to (7). ˙ Omission of ss 130 and 131 16. Sections 130 and 131— omit.

s 17 9 s 21 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 ˙ Amendment of s 132 (General rulings) 17. Section 132(1), ‘allowable award’— omit, insert— ‘industrial’. ˙ Amendment of s 133 (Inclusion of enterprise flexibility provisions in awards) 18. Section 133(3), from ‘amendment—’— omit, insert— ‘amendment, if it included an amendment to wage rates specified in the award, would provide for minimum wage rates consistent with sections 122 and 123. 1 ’. ˙ Amendment of s 287 (Commission’s functions) 19.(1) Section 287(a)(ii), ‘based on allowable award matters’— omit. (2) Section 287(f), ‘on allowable award matters’— omit. ˙ Amendment of s 300 (Statement of policy) 20. Section 300(2), ‘about an allowable award matter’— omit. ˙ Replacement of ch hdg 21. Chapter 16, heading— omit, insert— 1 Sections 122 (Objects of ch 3) and 123 (Performance of commission’s functions under this chapter)

s 22 10 s 25 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 ‘ CHAPTER 16—TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR ACT 1997 NO. 1 ’. ˙ Omission of ch 16, pts 1 and 2 22. Chapter 16, parts 1 and 2— omit. ˙ Omission of s 509 (Section 55(4) awards and exceptional matters orders prevail over pre and post commencement certified agreements) 23. Section 509— omit. ˙ Replacement of s 512 (EFA displaced by certain awards or orders) 24. Section 512— omit, insert— ˙ ‘ EFA displaced by certain awards ‘ 512. An award made under section 55(4) 2 prevails over an EFA to the extent of any inconsistency.’. ˙ Insertion of new ch 17 25. After chapter 16— insert— 2 Section 55 (What happens if commission terminates a bargaining period under s 54(3) or (7))

s 26 11 s 26 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 ‘ CHAPTER 17—SAVINGS AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR WORKPLACE RELATIONS AMENDMENT ACT 1998 ˙ ‘ Preservation of certain general conditions ‘ 520. The repealed Act, sections 221, 222, 230, 233, 235, 236 and 237, 3 continues to have effect and applies— (a) to an award, industrial agreement, certified agreement or EFA in force immediately before 27 March 1997 and continued in force under this Act; and (b) from the commencement of this section, to an award or certified agreement made or certified on or after 27 March 1997.’. ˙ Amendment of sch 5 (Dictionary) 26.(1) Schedule 5, definitions “allowable award matter” and “exceptional matters order” — omit. (2) Schedule 5, definition “award” , paragraph (a)— omit, insert— ‘(a) generally, means— (i) an award made under chapter 3 or continued in force under this Act; or (ii) an award as amended under the chapter; and’. 3 Sections 221 (Hours of work), 222 (Public holidays), 230 (Sick leave), 233 (Annual leave), 235 (Payment for annual leave), 236 (Payment in lieu of annual leave) and 237 (Pro rata annual leave)

12 Workplace Relations Amendment No. 32, 1998 ¡ SCHEDULE AMENDMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS (PROTECTION FROM INVALIDITIES) ACT 1991 section 2(2) 1. Section 18— omit, insert— ‘ Expiry of Act ‘ 18. This Act expires on 31 December 1999.’. © State of Queensland 1998