Fair Work Building & Construction (FWBC), or more formally the Office of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate[6] was an Government of Australia agency established by the Fair Work (Building Industry) Act 2012. FWBC commenced operations on 1 June 2012, replacing its predecessor, the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner. FWBC was replaced by the Australian Building and Construction Commission on 2 December 2016. FWBC was responsible for enforcing industrial relations laws in Australia’s building and construction industry through the provision of education, assistance and advice.
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 June 2012 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Dissolved | 2 December 2016 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Australia |
| Headquarters | Melbourne Victoria, Australia |
| Employees | 120+ |
| Agency executives | |
| Parent agency | Department of Employment |
| Website | fwbc.gov.au |
FWBC aimed to ensure the rule of law applies on building sites within Australia and that building work is carried out fairly, efficiently and productively for the benefit of all building industry participants and for the benefit of the Australian economy as a whole.
The agency had offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin and Perth, with its head office located in Melbourne.
The agency’s investigators visited construction sites across Australia to ensure all building industry participants were complying with federal law.
Functions edit
FWBC was responsible for the following workplace relations matters in the building and construction industry:[7]
Investigating and auditing edit
Investigating alleged contraventions of:
- the Fair Work Act 2009
- the Independent Contractors Act 2006
- Building Code 2013
Educating and advising edit
- Responding to enquiries for advice and assistance.
- Conducting presentations on the rights and responsibilities of building industry participants.
- Producing and distributing fact sheets on legislation, regulations and industrial relations practices.
- Publishing updates on legal findings (e.g. outcomes of court cases), operational activities, newsletters and updates on topics affecting the industry.
Instituting proceedings for contraventions of the Fair Work Act 2009 (FW Act) edit
If FWBC determined a contravention has occurred, the agency could commence legal action. FWBC also had the power to intervene in court proceedings—and Fair Work Commission proceedings—that involve a building industry participant or building work.
Contraventions may relate to:
- Coercion
- Industrial action
- Discrimination
- Workplace rights
- Strike pay
- Right of entry
Referring matters to other Commonwealth or State and Territory bodies edit
Where appropriate, the FWBC could refer matters to other Commonwealth or State and Territory bodies, including the
References edit
- ^ "FWBC Annual Report 2011–2012 - Organisational Structure". Fair Work Building & Construction (via the Internet Wayback Machine). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ a b "FWBC Annual Report 2012–2013 - Organisational Structure". Fair Work Building & Construction (via the Internet Wayback Machine). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ Shorten, Bill (12 July 2013). "Fair Work Appointments". Bill Shorten. Australian Labor Party. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ Osborne, Paul; AAP Senior Political Writer. "Construction watchdog chief quits". Sydney Morning Herald. No. 25 September 2013. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "FWBC Annual Report 2013–2014 - Organisational Structure". Fair Work Building & Construction (via the Internet Wayback Machine). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "Fair Work (Building Industry) Act 2012". Federal Register of Legislation. section 26J: Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Fair Work Building & Construction. "Role". Australian Government. Retrieved 1 December 2014.