Arabic version: مشروع قانون في كوينزلاند يوسّع صلاحيات التعامل مع الإضرابات المحمية
According to ABC News, Queensland Deputy Premier and Industrial Relations Minister Jarrod Bleijie has introduced a bill that would allow the industrial relations minister to terminate protected industrial action in specified circumstances. Bleijie said the sweeping changes to state industrial relations laws mirrored federal Fair Work legislation as closely as possible.
Under the proposal, a minister could end protected action if satisfied there was sufficient public-interest justification. Action could be terminated where it threatened life, personal safety, health or welfare, or could cause significant damage to the state economy. The bill would also require workers to provide at least three working days’ notice before protected industrial action.
Bleijie pointed to Queensland Rail negotiations involving seven unions this year, when protected action and a maintenance backlog contributed to reduced services and frequent delays. He said he had written to the federal industrial relations minister seeking intervention and that the state government would have intervened if the matter had fallen under state rail arrangements. He said the proposed powers would be used only in extraordinary situations, while arbitration and conciliation would remain available.
Queensland’s state industrial relations jurisdiction covers about 383,000 workers, while an estimated 2.66 million are covered by the Fair Work Act 2009. The bill follows an independent review that received submissions from 97 stakeholders and made 104 recommendations, 75 of which the government accepted in full. It would also require employment to be the “major significant” contributing factor for psychological injury claims. Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King said this could prevent workers from obtaining compensation and support where injuries have multiple causes. The bill has been referred to a parliamentary committee before returning to the House for debate.
