28th March 2008
Labour's Transitional Workplace Reforms.
The Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) ACT 2008 was formally decreed by the Governor General on 27th March 2008. This commences Labour's transitional workplace reforms.
The Act came into force at midnight on 27th March 2008. Under the provisions of the Act, no new Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA's) will be entered into from midnight on 27th March 2008.
Apart from the impact on AWA's, the Act:
- Allows employers to offer Individual Transitional Employment Agreements to employees who were on AWA's as at 1 December 2007.
- Introduces a new No-Disadvantage Test.
- Enables the AIRC to undertake the Award modernization process.
- Repeals the Workplace Relations Fact Sheet requirements.
Employers now have 14 days from the commencement of this Act to lodge any AWA's which have already been signed up to and including the 10th of April 2008. On and from 11th April 2008, the Workplace Authority will no longer accept AWA's as legally valid workplace agreements. | 
