Read this paper published by HopgoodGanim Lawyers regarding Industrial and Employment Law. 

The week of Monday 16 June 2008 was big for the development of the Federal government's new industrial relations system.

On Monday 16 June 2008 the government released, in final form, the 10 National Employment Standards, the NES, which will define the basic safety-net of terms and conditions of employment in the new federal system from 1 January 2010. This followed the release of draft standards in February and a public consultation process which ended in early April. While the NES are yet to be legislated into law, it has been necessary for the government to develop the standards to a conclusion now, or at least as far as possible, to facilitate the award modernisation process being undertaken by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

That process, which is legislated for, is expected to be largely completed by December 2009, to facilitate commencement of the new system in 2010.

The same day, the Minister for Industrial Relations issued to the AIRC a revised award modernisation request first made to the Commission on 28 March 2008.1 Among other things the revised request directed the AIRC to make, as part of the award modernisation process, a 'catch-all' award to be applicable to workers who are not covered by another award but “who perform work of a similar nature to that which has historically been regulated by awards”2, whether State or Federal.

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