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Amending the Fair Work Act 2009 to Protect Vulnerable Workers

Independent Review – Department of Employment

On 1 March 2017, the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2017 was introduced into Parliament.

The Government introduced amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 to protect workers from exploitation by unscrupulous employers and improve compliance with Australia’s workplace laws.

The Department of Employment certified the following reports as independent reviews which have undertaken a process and analysis equivalent to a RIS:

  • The Fair Work Ombudsman’s A Report of the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Inquiry into 7-Eleven, April 2016;

  • Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment’s report titled A National Disgrace: The Exploitation of Temporary Work Visa Holders, March 2016;

  • The Productivity Commission’s Productivity Commission Inquiry Report: Workplace Relations Framework, No. 76, November 2015;

  • The Fair Work Ombudsman’s A Report on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Inquiry into the labour procurement arrangements of the Baiada Group in New South Wales, June 2015.

The Office of Best Practice Regulation does not assess independent reviews. The independent reviews for the Bill have been certified at the Deputy Secretary level by the Department of Employment, as consistent with best practice.

Department of Employment has estimated that the reforms will result in an increase in regulatory costs of $1.6 million per year. The Office of Best Practice Regulation has agreed with this figure. The regulatory costs are offset by regulatory savings from the abolition of the Road Safety Remuneration System.