On 14 November 2013 the Senate referred the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Bill 2013 (the Bill) for inquiry and report by 2 December 2013. The committee agreed that submissions should be received by 22 November 2013.
Public Hearing - Tuesday 26 November 2013 (PDF 191KB)
The bill proposes to:
- Establish an independent authority, the Registered Organisations Commission (the Commission), with powers to monitor and regulated registered organisations;
- Amend requirements for officers of registered organisations with respect to the declarations of personal financial and other interests, change rules with reference to disqualification and ineligibility for office;
- Strengthen financial accounting, disclosure and transparency obligations under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 and make rule obligations enforceable as civil remedy provisions;
- Increase penalties and introduce criminal offences for breaches of officer’s duties; and
- Establish new offences in relation to the conduct of investigations under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009.
The bill also proposes that the Registered Organisations Commissioner would act as an enforcer of the new rules and penalties for the General Manager of the Fair Work Commission. The investigation and information gathering powers in the bill are modelled on those found in the Australian Securities Investments Commission Act 2001. Personal interest disclosure provisions and civil penalties are modelled on those provisions imposed on companies and their directors under the Corporations Act 2001.