A three-member panel and terms of reference have been announced for the Federal Government’s review of the Fair Work Act.

 

The review will be conducted by John Edwards, board member of the Reserve Bank of Australia;  former Federal Court jundge, Justice Michael Moore; and legal and workplace relations academic Professor Ron McCallum.

 

John Edwards is a Visiting Fellow at the Lowy Institute, an Adjunct Professor with the John Curtin Institute of Public Policy at Curtin University, and a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia. From 2009 to 2011 he was Director for Economic Planning and Development for the Economic Development Board of the Kingdom of Bahrain. From 1997 to 2009, Dr Edwards was Chief Economist for Australia and New Zealand for the global financial group, HSBC.

 

Michael Moore was appointed to the Industrial Relations Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia in March 1994 and retired in July 2011. At the time of his appointment to the Federal Court, he was Acting President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, of which he had been a Deputy President and then Vice President. He was appointed a Presidential Member of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in 1989.  More recently, Michael has been an acting Judge in the NSW Land and Environment Court.

 

Professor Ron McCallum has written extensively on labour law matters and has taught Administrative Law, Public Law and labour law at the University of Sydney. Ron is the first totally blind person to have been appointed to a full professorship in any field at any university in Australia or New Zealand.

 

Under its terms of reference, the review will undertake an evidence-based discussion about the operation of the Fair Work Act and the extent to which its effects have been consistent with the government's objectives.

 

The panel will examine areas where evidence suggests the Act can be improved.

 

It will also create a clear and stable framework of rights and obligations, and a single and accessible compliance regime.

 

The review will examine how effective procedures are at resolving grievances and disputes and protecting against unfair dismissal. It will also look at how it is affecting different regions, industries, genders, young workers and people from non-English speaking backgrounds.

 

A background paper on the act will be released and submissions will be invited.

 

The panel will report to the government by May 31, 2012.

 

Terms of reference for the review are available here.