The Closing Loopholes Acts, comprising the Fair Work Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act 2023 and the Fair Work Amendment (Closing Loopholes No 2) Act 2024, represents significant reform to the country’s workplace laws. With implications for employers, employees and unions across Australia.
Our partners at Employment Hero have created some fantastic resources to summarise the new laws and what they mean for your business, which you can find here:
Factsheet: The Closing Loopholes Bill explained
Closing Loopholes Bill: Important Dates Calendar
Some key points on the changes
To give you an idea of the scope of the new laws and changes, we’ve also prepared a brief summary of some of the key points covered in Employment Hero’s resources:
- The Closing Loopholes Bill is split into two parts: After reaching an agreement with the Senate crossbench, the Federal Government has divided the Closing Loopholes Bill into two separate parts.
- Part 1 of the Bill was passed 7 December 2023: Parliament has passed key provisions of Part 1 of the Bill, which include measures on wage theft, labor hire (‘same job, same pay’), and workplace delegates.
- Part 2 was passed 12 February 2024: The remaining elements of the Bill were under consideration, including proposed provisions on intractable bargaining declarations, casual employment, and independent contractors. For detailed information on Part 2, download Employment Hero’s Part 2 of the Closing Loopholes Bill explained – Factsheet to stay informed on these critical updates. They also have an Employment Law Update: The Closing Loopholes Bill Part 2 webinar, where they will discuss all the key components.
- Employers may already be on the backfoot: As another year approaches, employers should consider assessing the impact of the new laws on their business. This includes evaluating the effects on current and future enterprise bargaining and their response to any Fair Work Commission applications for ‘same job, same pay’ orders. To help you track all significant dates, download Employment Hero’s Closing Loopholes Bill: Important Dates Calendar.
If you have any questions about these resources, or would like to find out if your business is compliant – feel free to reach out to our team.
Feature image sourced from Unsplash.