Changes have been made to the Fair Work Act as part of the Australian Government’s new Closing Loopholes laws. 

Some changes start from 15 December 2023, and others start later. 

The changes include:

Starting now (December 15th, 2023):

• Equal pay for labour hire workers: Labour hire workers are entitled to be paid the same as employees directly engaged by a particular business.
• New discrimination protections: Employees experiencing family and domestic violence have new discrimination protections.
• Small business redundancy rules: If your company downsizes and becomes a small business during bankruptcy or liquidation, new rules apply to redundancy payments.
• Workplace delegate rights: Workers who represent their colleagues (delegates) get new rights, including paid training time.
• Right of entry: Removes the requirement for officials assisting a state or territory work health and safety representative to hold an entry permit under the Fair Work Act.

Coming soon (not before January 1st, 2025):

• Criminalizing wage theft and superannuation non-payment: Intentionally not paying wages or super will be a crime. A ‘Voluntary Small Business Wage Compliance Code’ will be available to small business employers.

More information:

• Some rules started earlier (September 4th, 2023) for specific situations.
• Visit the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website.
• Subscribe to email updates from the Fair Work Ombudsman.
• Visit the Fair Work Commission website.