28 June 2012,
- Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre

Introduction

Over the past 20 years, reforms to Australia’s Workplace Relations law had been a key item on the agenda of the major political parties. All parties proclaimed the need for greater flexibility but differed in their approach to achieving these outcomes.

The Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, popularly known as Work Choices, came into effect in March 2006. This legislation brought about many changes, but the most significant of which being that all incorporated businesses became subject to the federal industrial relations system. Since then, there has been turbulence surrounding the system as amendments have been made in line with political trends. This continued until the introduction of the Fair Work Act, which came into effect in 2010.

The Fair Work Act has established a new structure of regulation that attempts to create a more nationally focused Workplace Relations system in Australia. Each state, other than Western Australia has handed over some or all of their industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth. This has meant that the vast majority of Australian employers and employees are now effectively covered by the Fair Work Act and are part of the federal system.