Improved Protection for Victorian Workers? Victorian industrial relations in 2004

By Annamarie Rooding and Bruce Moore

The Victorian government last year legislated to refer to the Commonwealth a further key industrial relations power - the power to make common rule awards.

On 1 January 2004, complementary Commonwealth legislation commenced which accepted that power, enabling the AIRC to declare federal awards to apply by "common rule" in Victoria with effect from 2005.

This article summarises the new common rule provisions, and other provisions in the Commonwealth legislation which have in the meantime amended and extended the existing minimum entitlements provided to Victorian workers by Sch 1A of the Workplace Relations Act 1996.

(LexisNexis Butterworths Employment Law Bulletin. vol. 10, no. 1)