Survey – What training do you need to help transition to the State IR system?
 
The State Government has asked WALGA to identify specific training courses and workshops that Local Governments and Regional Councils (Local Governments) are seeking funding for to upskill their staff to prepare for the State industrial relations (IR) transition.
 
We have prepared a short ten-minute survey to seek your feedback. This survey will directly inform WALGA’s advocacy with the State Government and closes COB Friday, 14 October. 

 Complete the survey now

 
Progress of the proposed transition to the State IR system
 
There are still several steps required before Local Governments are required to operate in the State IR system. The remaining steps are summarised here.
 
Transition of industrial instruments from the Federal IR system to the State IR system
 
For those of you that are new to the sector, or if you are still unsure of how your Local Government’s industrial instruments (including any enterprise agreement and the Federal Local Government Industry Award 2020) will operate when you transition to the State IR system, we encourage you to watch the Industrial Relations Legislation Amendment Act 2021 Webinar – Key reforms for Local Government. See Webinar slides here.
 
For WALGA ER subscribers see the Transitional Instrument Flow Chart for further information.
 
Preparing for the proposed transition
 
WALGA ER subscribers can also utilise the resources on the State IR Transition section of the WALGA website to start upskilling their HR teams about the State IR system. You will need to be logged in to view these resources.
 
WALGA ER has held several tailored webinars to assist with preparing Local Governments to transition from the Federal IR system to the State IR system. We suggest that Local Government HR teams that haven’t already done so, listen to the recorded webinars in the following order:

We also suggest HR teams work through the following resources available here:
  • Fact Sheet – Overview of Key Differences Between the Federal and State IR Systems
  • Flow Chart – Transitional Instrument Flow Chart 
  • Fact Sheet – Federal vs State Minimum Employment Standards
  • Fact Sheet – Federal vs State Record Keeping Obligations
  • Fact Sheet – Industrial Agreement Bargaining Process
  • Fact Sheet – Industrial Claims in the State IR System
  • Awards Comparison Guide – Full Awards Comparison 
  • Awards Comparison Guide – Hours and Related Conditions
  • Awards Comparison Guide – Allowances 
  • Awards Comparison Guide – Leave Entitlements
If you have any ideas for resources that would assist your Local Government, please contact WALGA Employee Relations.
 
WALGA will continue to update you on key changes and impacts as they arise via the State IR Transition Bulletin.
 
If you subscribe to the WALGA Employee Relations service and have any questions about this alert, please email WALGA Employee Relations or call 1300 366 956.

Register now – Record Keeping in the State IR System Webinar
 
WALGA ER will take you through the record keeping and payslip requirements in the State IR system pointing out areas where Local Governments may need to update their practices when required to operate in the State IR system. For example, in the State IR system, there is a requirement to keep daily records about an employee’s:
  • start and finish times
  • period for which the employee was paid
  • work breaks including unpaid meal breaks.
There will also be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar to address any questions you may have. Registration is limited to WALGA ER subscribers.
 
Date: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
 
Time: 10:00am to 10:45am