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Correspondence between the Office of Best Practice Regulation and the Senator the Hon Eric Abetz, regarding the Terms of Reference for the Fair Work Review

On 22 December 2011, the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) received correspondence from Senator the Hon Abetz requesting that the OBPR review the Terms of Reference for the Fair Work Review, which is intended to be the Post‑implementation Review for the Fair Work Act 2009 and the Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Act 2008. Senator Abetz’s letter expressed concerns that the Terms of Reference were narrow and should be broadened, in line with the requirements for a Post‑implementation Review in the Australian Government’s Best Practice Regulation Handbook. The OBPR has written a letter responding to Senator Abetz concerns with the Terms of Reference for the Fair Work Review, clarifying that the OBPR:

  1. was consulted during the development process for the Terms of Reference;
  2. was satisfied with the Terms of Reference, as it specifically requires that the Review will be assessed against the relevant requirements in the Australian Government’s Best Practice Regulation Handbook;
  3. will be independently assessing the adequacy of the Fair Work Review against the Australian Government’s Best Practice Regulation Handbook; and
  4. will publish the letter on the Best Practice Regulation Updates website (ris.finance.gov.au).