4.
Parliament of Victoria referred powers to the Commonwealth Parliament to make laws with respect to conciliation and arbitration for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes within the limits of the State; agreements about matters pertaining to the relationship between an employer or employers in the State and an employee or employees in the State; and minimum terms and conditions of employment for employees of the State. The Referral Act was subject to a number of exceptions.
2The legislation
7 The principal object of the new Act is stated in s 3 as follows:
"The principal object of this Act is to provide a framework for cooperative workplace relations which promotes the economic prosperity and welfare of the people of Australia by:
(a) encouraging the pursuit of high employment, improved living standards, low inflation and international competitiveness through higher productivity and a flexible and fair labour market; and
(b) establishing and maintaining a simplified national system of workplace relations; and
(c) providing an economically sustainable safety net of minimum wages and conditions for those whose employment is regulated by this Act; and
(d) ensuring that, as far as possible, the primary responsibility for determining matters affecting the employment relationship rests with the employer and employees at the workplace or enterprise level; and
(e) enabling employers and employees to choose the most appropriate form of agreement for their particular circumstances; and
(f) ensuring compliance with minimum standards, industrial instruments and bargaining processes by providing effective means for the investigation and enforcement of:
- (i) employee entitlements; and
- (ii) the rights and obligations of employers and employees, and their organisations; and
