28 March 2008
Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Act 2008 commenced.
This Act:
- prevented new Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) being made after 28 March 2008
- created a new interim instrument (called an Individual Transitional Employment Agreement or ITEA) for certain employees and employers
- introduced a ‘no disadvantage test’ for ITEAs and new collective agreements
- enabled the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to start the award modernisation process.
1 July 2009
First operational day of Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman. A substantial number of provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 took effect. In general, this included revised enterprise bargaining arrangements, and streamlined protections dealing with workplace rights, industrial action, and unfair dismissal.
A substantial number of associated provisions of the Fair Work (State Referral and Consequential and Other Amendments) Act 2009 and the Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2009 also took effect.
1 January 2010
Employers in NSW, QLD, SA and TAS not already covered by the Fair Work Act 2009 moved into the national system. The National Employment Standards (NES), modern awards and a new system of minimum wage-setting commenced.
Pay rates in some modern awards commenced. Many modern awards contain model transitional provisions that include a phasing schedule which allows wages, loadings and penalty rates which are higher or lower than pre-existing conditions to be progressively introduced.
1 July 2010
In many modern awards, pay rates and some loading / penalty rates began to be phased in. Changes to pre-existing rates may be phased in over 5 equal instalments over four years.
Fair Work Australia’s first national minimum wage order was completed.