Employment Law in Australia: New Country Guide Added

Author: Melissa A. Silver, XpertHR Legal Editor

XpertHR has added a new guide on employment law in Australia, bringing the number of countries and territories covered to a total of 44.

Australia is a federation of six states and two main territories. Until relatively recently, each state and territory had its own employment laws. However, in 2009, the federal Fair Work Act came into effect and now covers most Australian employees. It is the primary source of regulation of workplace relations across Australia, forming the basis for a "national system" of workplace relations. The provisions of the Act include a set of National Employment Standards (NES) regulating areas such as maximum working hours, flexible working arrangements, annual leave, public holidays, parental leave, minimum notice of termination and redundancy pay.

The national system also provides for pay and conditions in defined sectors or occupations to be set by "modern awards," and for collective agreements known as "enterprise agreements." These both build on the NES and play an important role in setting pay and conditions for many Australian employees.

The new guide provides information on: