WALGA Employee Relations is a registered industrial agent under the Industrial Relations Act 1979 (WA) and has a long and active history of advocating for the Local Government sector on a wide range of industrial issues.  This includes changes to legislation and awards, and test cases.

State Award Update

Since the transition to the State industrial relations system, the Local Government unions and the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission have commenced a range of applications seeking to amend the industry conditions for Local Governments.

WALGA believes a collective employer approach to State award update is vital. 

Local Government Industry Award 2020 Amendments

When amendments are made to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), the Fair Work Commission (FWC) reviews the modern awards, including the Local Government Industry Award 2020 (LGIA), and identifies any required consequential award amendments. WALGA monitors all proposed amendments to the LGIA and advocates on behalf of WA and NT Local Governments (and other Local Governments Associations that may join submissions) to ensure the interests of Local Government employers are reflected in any changes.

Before 2018, the FWC was required to review all modern awards every four years. WALGA Employee Relations advocated on behalf of the Local Government sector during this review and has partnered with other State and Territory Local Government Associations during the review proceedings.

WALGA has advocated on behalf of the Local Government sector in respect of the following issues, among others:

  • cashing out of annual leave
  • direction to take annual leave where accrued leave is excessive
  • district allowances
  • annual leave loading on termination
  • casual minimum engagement period
  • casuals and overtime.

Local Government Workforce Development Group

WALGA Employee Relations meets with counterparts from the other State and Territory Local Government Associations on a regular basis to discuss topical human resources and workforce issues affecting the sector. 

This includes issues such as training and development, workforce planning, industrial/political trends, remuneration and generally sharing experiences from each State and Territory. This group also provides collective information to the Australian Local Government Association to inform National policy responses in these areas.

WALGA People and Culture Network - LinkedIn Group

The WALGA People and Culture Network - LinkedIn Group has been created for HR and People and Culture staff at WA Local Governments and Regional Councils to enable collaboration across the sector. Group members can use the group to share ideas, information, articles of interest, trends, current challenges and solutions. WALGA will also use the group to share information of interest with members. Request to join the group here.