Commonwealth of Australia Explanatory Memoranda Commonwealth of Australia Explanatory Memoranda[Index] [Search] [Download] [Bill] [Help]
2004-2005-2006
THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
SENATE
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS BILL 2006
SUPPLEMENTARY EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
Amendments to be Moved on Behalf of the Government
(Circulated by authority of the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the
Honourable Kevin Andrews MP)
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS BILL 2006
(Amendments to be moved on behalf of the Government)
OUTLINE
The proposed Government amendments would amend the provisions of the
Independent Contractors Bill 2006. The amendments would further enhance the
Government's commitment to protect common law independent contractors from the
prescriptive nature of workplace relations regulation.
The amendments would:
· amend the exclusion provisions in proposed section 7 of the Bill, as
recommended by the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and
Education Committee, to ensure that existing State and Territory
outworker protections are not overridden;
· remove the minimum remuneration guarantee for independent contractor
outworkers in the textile, clothing and footwear industry as recommended
by the Senate Committee on the basis that the proposed provisions are an
unnecessary duplication of State and Territory laws;
· amend the unfair contracts provisions in Part 3 of the Bill to ensure that a
court assesses the unfairness or harshness of a contract at the time it was
made;
· amend the unfair contracts provisions in Part 3 of the Bill to further clarify
the powers of the Court in reviewing services contracts; and
· amend the unfair contracts provisions in Part 3 of the Bill to include more
comprehensive `anti-double dipping' provisions.
FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT
These amendments are budget neutral.
NOTES ON AMENDMENTS
Amendment 1 - Clause 7, page 6 (line 30) to page 7 (line 3)
1. This amendment would omit proposed paragraph 7(1)(c) of the Bill and substitute
a new provision.
2. Currently, proposed paragraph 7(1)(c) provides that the rights, entitlements,
obligations and liabilities of a party to a services contract are not affected by a law of
a State or Territory to the extent that the law provides for the whole or part of a
services contract to be amended, varied, set aside, void or otherwise unenforceable,
on an unfairness ground. The purpose of this proposed provision is to exclude the
application of State unfair contract jurisdictions.
3. As amended, paragraph 7(1)(c) would provide that the rights, entitlements,
obligations and liabilities of a party to a services contract are not affected by a law of
a State or Territory to the extent that the law expressly provides for a court,
commission or tribunal to make an order or determination which amends, varies, sets
aside, or declares to be void or otherwise unenforceable, part or all of a services
contract on an unfairness ground.
4. The effect of this amendment would be to narrow the characterisation of the State
and Territory laws intended to be excluded by the Bill. It would ensure that only
State and Territory laws which expressly give a court, commission or tribunal, the
power to amend, vary, set aside, or declare to be void or otherwise unenforceable, part
or all of a services contract, are excluded to the extent that those laws affect the
rights, entitlements, obligations and liabilities of parties to a services contract. State
and Territory laws which, of themselves, have the effect of allowing a services
contract to be amended, varied, set aside, or declared to be void or otherwise
unenforceable would not be excluded by this amended paragraph 7(1)(c).
5. An example of a State law intended to be overridden by paragraph 7(1)(c) as
amended would be section 276 of the Queensland Industrial Relations Act 1999. That
law expressly allows the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission to amend or
declare void a contract for services where that contract is an `unfair contract'. The
term `unfair contract' in the Queensland legislation meets the definition of an
unfairness ground.
6. An example of a State law that would not be overridden by paragraph 7(1)(c) as
amended would be subsection 406(2) of the New South Wales Industrial Relations
Act 1996. That law states that the provisions of a contract do not have effect to the
extent that they provide an employee with a benefit that is less favourable than the
benefit to which they would have been entitled to under an industrial instrument. To
the extent that the New South Wales law applies to common law independent
contractors, it will not be overridden by new paragraph 7(1)(c) because it is the New
South Wales law itself that operates to render a term of the contract unenforceable.
Other examples include sections 69-72B of the South Australian Fair Work Act 1994,
section 85 of the Tasmanian Industrial Relations Act 1984, section 114 of the Western
Australian Industrial Relations Act 1979 and similar provisions in respect of
mandatory codes or other legislative instruments.
7. With respect to existing State and Territory laws which protect outworkers,
nothing in proposed paragraph 7(1)(c) is intended to deprive outworkers (or their
representatives) of the right to recover their full entitlements arising from the relevant
instruments (such as legislation, regulations, award provisions and mandatory codes)
which apply to them.
8. The Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Committee was
particularly concerned that paragraph 7(1)(c), as introduced, would override State and
Territory laws that prevent a person contracting out of award or industrial instrument
entitlements insofar as those entitlements are applicable to outworkers (see page 3 of
the Senate Committee's report, tabled in August 2006). The Senate Committee was
also concerned that enforcement provisions associated with these `anti-avoidance'
laws would also be overridden by the paragraph as originally proposed. This
amendment would implement the unanimous recommendation of the Senate
Committee that paragraph 7(1)(c) of the Bill be amended to ensure that State `anti-
avoidance' legislation for the protection of outworkers not be overridden.
Amendment 2 - Clause 7, page 7 (lines 10 to 14)
9. This amendment would omit proposed paragraph 7(2)(a) of the Bill and substitute
a new provision.
10. Proposed paragraph 7(2)(a) currently provides that subsection 7(1) does not apply
in relation to a law of a State or Territory to the extent that the law applies to a
services contract to which an outworker is a party and makes provision, otherwise
than as mentioned in paragraph 7(1)(c), in relation to such a contract. The intention
was to prevent the application of paragraphs 7(1)(a) and (b) to existing State and
Territory laws that provide protections to outworkers. This is still the intention of the
amended provision. The amendment rewords the provision to better express this
intention.
11. As amended, paragraph 7(2)(a) would provide that the exclusion provisions
(subsection 7(1)) do not apply to a law of a State or Territory to the extent that the law
deals with matters relating to outworkers. This would ensure that all existing State
and Territory protections for outworkers are preserved.
12. However, paragraph 7(2)(a) would not prevent the exclusion of a State or
Territory law which expressly allows a court, commission or tribunal to make an
order or determination which amends, varies, sets aside, or declares to be void or
otherwise unenforceable, part or all of a services contract on an unfairness ground
(paragraph 7(1)(c)). It is intended that the Bill override State and Territory unfair
contracts jurisdictions for all workers (including outworkers). These workers will
have access to the new unfair contracts provisions in proposed Part 3 of the Bill.
13. Because paragraph 7(2)(a) would ensure that a State or Territory law that deems
an independent contractor outworker to be an employee, or provides employee-like
entitlements to an independent contractor outworker is not excluded, the transitional
provisions in Division 1 of Part 5 of the Bill, including the capacity to enter a reform
opt-in agreement, will not apply to people who are covered by those laws. This is
because the transitional arrangements only apply to services contracts affected by
State or Territory laws which are overridden by paragraphs 7(1)(a) and (b).
14. The effect of new paragraph 7(2)(a) would be to preserve State or Territory laws
which deem common law independent contractors to be employees or which provide
employee-like entitlements to common law independent contractors where those laws
deal with matters relating to outworkers. This provision would save not only existing
State and Territory laws about outworkers, but also similar laws enacted in the future.
Examples of State and Territory laws that would be saved by this proposed provision
include laws relating to registration and record keeping requirements of textile,
clothing and footwear (TCF) industry participants, laws regulating the giving out of
work by parties in the contracting chain, and industry codes of practice which apply
to TCF industry participants (such as the New South Wales Ethical Clothing Trades
Extended Responsibility Scheme).
15. It is not intended that the Bill override existing State and Territory outworker
protections preserved under paragraph 7(2)(a) through the making of regulations
under proposed section 10 of the Bill.
Illustrative example (outworker law)
Kath is an outworker in Victoria engaged on a services contract by Calico Products
Pty Ltd to make dresses. Calico Products is itself engaged by Mega Fashion House
Inc (Mega) who on-sells the dresses made by Kath to a variety of large department
stores around Australia.
Kath has just completed a large order for Calico Products and, in accordance with the
terms of her contract, is owed $500. However, the owner of Calico Products has
refused to pay Kath for the work she has performed. Kath wants to know if there is
another way to recover the money she is owed.
The Victorian Outworkers (Improved Protection) Act 2003 allows Kath to claim
unpaid remuneration from an apparent employer (in this case, Mega). The Victorian
Act would not be overridden by the Bill, despite the fact that it deems Kath (a
common law independent contractor) to be an employee (see section 4) and confers
employee-like entitlements on Kath by providing her an entitlement to the same terms
and conditions applicable to an employee outworker (see section 14A) and by
providing chain of contracts provisions (see Division 2 of Part 2). The Victorian Act
would not be overridden because it is a law that deals with matters relating to
outworkers and is therefore saved by paragraph 7(2)(a) of the Bill.
Illustrative example (unfair contracts law)
Debbie is a clothing outworker in New South Wales engaged on a services contract
by Stylish Clothing Pty Ltd (Stylish). Debbie is a migrant from Europe who speaks
very little English and has never attended formal education. When she started work
with Stylish, she signed a contract which contained a number of adverse terms and
conditions. She did not have the contract explained to her. When she asked the
owner of Stylish to read the contract to her, he replied that the job offer was a `take-it
or leave-it' offer. Intimidated by this behaviour, Debbie signed the contract.
Debbie has subsequently come to appreciate the adverse nature of some of the terms
of her contract and wants to have them amended. She wants to bring an unfair
contracts claim in the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission to have her
contract varied under Part 9 of the New South Wales Industrial Relations Act 1996.
The Bill will prevent Debbie from bringing an unfair contracts claim under the New
South Wales Act. Paragraph 7(2)(a) expressly preserves the effect of
paragraph 7(1)(c) which overrides State unfair contracts laws. However, Debbie
would be able to bring her claim to amend her contract under the unfair contracts
provisions in Part 3 of the Bill. Under these provisions, Debbie would be able to
apply to the Federal Magistrates Court to have her contract reviewed.
In addition, Debbie would have a remedy pursuant to State laws in New South Wales
which prevent parties from contracting out of the minimum standards to be provided
to all outworkers (including independent contractor outworkers).
Amendment 3 - Clause 7, page 7 (line 21)
16. This amendment would modify subparagraph 7(2)(b)(ii) by inserting the word
`or' at the end of the subparagraph. This amendment is consequential upon
Amendment 4.
Amendment 4 - Clause 7, page 7 (lines 22 and 23)
17. This amendment would omit subparagraph 7(2)(b)(iii) of the Bill. Subparagraph
7(2)(b)(iii) currently provides that any instrument made under a provision of a law
referred to in subparagraph 7(2)(b)(i) or 7(2)(b)(ii) is not affected by the general
exclusion of certain State and Territory laws in subsection 7(1).
18. As such, any instrument made under Chapter 6 of the New South Wales
Industrial Relations Act 1996 or the Victorian Owner Drivers and Forestry
Contractors Act 2005 would not be excluded by this Bill. This is the intention of the
Bill. However, paragraph 7(2)(b)(iii) is unnecessary because if a law is not excluded
(that is, it continues to operate), then instruments made under that law are similarly
not excluded (except where a law is excluded by regulations made under section 10 to
the extent that the law authorises the making of an instrument).
19. The omission of subparagraph 7(2)(b)(iii) is, therefore, not intended to change the
effect of the Bill with respect to instruments made under a law listed in subparagraphs
7(2)(b)(i) and 7(2)(b)(ii). Rather, the amendment would remove subparagraph
7(2)(b)(iii) because it is a redundant provision.
Amendment 5 - Clause 8, page 8 (line 32)
20. This amendment would replace the term `consumer rights' in proposed paragraph
8(2)(k) with `consumer protection'.
21. As amended, paragraph 8(2)(k) would provide that consumer protection is not a
workplace relations matter. By including consumer protection in the list of matters
defined by subsection 8(2) to not be workplace relations matters, State and Territory
laws relating to consumer protection that affect the rights, entitlements, obligations or
liabilities of parties to a services contract, would not be overridden by the exclusion
provisions in subsection 7(1).
22. Laws about consumer protection include those relating to the protection of
purchasers of goods and services from excessively high prices, faulty design, and/or
injurious side effects. They are not confined to the protection of purchasers of
domestic goods and services. Under this provision, the term `consumer protection' is
intended to include laws which protect small business from the unconscionable
conduct of suppliers of goods and services.
23. At the time of the passage of this Bill, the following State and Territory laws
would be considered to be examples of laws about `consumer protection':
· the Fair Trading Act 1992 (ACT);
· the Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW);
· the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading Act 1990 (NT);
· the Fair Trading Act 1989 (Qld);
· the Fair Trading Act 1987 (SA);
· the Fair Trading Act 1990 (Tas);
· the Fair Trading Act 1999 (Vic); and
· the Fair Trading Act 1987 (WA).
Amendment 6 - Clause 12, page 10 (after line 28)
24. This amendment would add two subsections and a legislative note to section 12
of the Bill.
25. As amended, proposed subsection 12(3) would provide for the time at which the
Federal Court of Australia or the Federal Magistrates Court (the Court) may review
the terms and matters surrounding the making of a contract for the purposes of Part 3.
26. Proposed paragraph 12(3)(a) would provide that in reviewing a services contract,
the Court must only have regard to the terms of the contract at the time it was made.
This would reflect the prevailing Commonwealth case law regarding the
interpretation of the existing unfair contracts provisions in the Workplace Relations
Act 1996. The current case law supports the proposition that the existing federal
unfair contracts jurisdiction is concerned only with the unfairness or harshness of a
contract at the time the contract is made.
27. These cases further emphasise that considerations of harshness or unfairness at
any point after the contract has been entered into by the parties are irrelevant (see
Finch & Ors v Herald and Weekly Times Ltd (1996) 65 IR 239; Harding v EIG
Ansvar Ltd [2000] FCA 46; Aerial Taxi Cabs Co-operative Society Ltd (t/as
Canberra Cabs) v Lee [2000] FCA 1628; and Jordan v Aerial Taxi Cabs Co-
operative Society Ltd (t/as Canberra Cabs) [2001] FCA 972).
28. Proposed paragraph 12(3)(b) would allow the Court, when reviewing a services
contract, to consider other matters as existing at the time the contract was made. This
paragraph contemplates that the `other matters' to which the Court may have regard
are those listed in subsection 15(1) of the Bill. The intended effect of this paragraph
would be to confine the Court's consideration of matters relevant to whether a
contract was harsh or unfair to matters which occurred at or before the time the
contract was made.
29. New subsection 12(4) would provide that for the purposes of Part 3, the term
services contract would include a contract to vary a services contract. It is intended
that this clause would reflect the position at common law, which is that a variation to
a contract is generally treated as a new contract in itself. The new contract to vary the
old contract would be capable of being reviewed at the time it was made.
30. A legislative note would be inserted at the end of subsection 12(4) to make it
clear that a contract to vary a services contract can itself be reviewed because it will
be treated as a services contract for the purposes of Part 3.
Amendment 7 - Clause 14, page 11 (lines 23 to 26)
31. This amendment would omit the definition of `other review proceedings' from
subsection 14(3) of the Bill and substitute a new definition.
32. As amended, proposed new subsection 14(3) would provide an expanded
definition of other review proceedings. These definitions are provided in proposed
paragraphs 14(3)(a) and 14(3)(b).
33. Proposed paragraph 14(3)(a) would define other review proceedings as
proceedings in relation to a services contract under a provision of a State or Territory
law (as mentioned in paragraph 7(1)(c)) that expressly empowers a court, commission
or tribunal to make an order or determination that all or a part of a services contract
be amended, varied, set aside, or is void or otherwise unenforceable, on an unfairness
ground if the services contract is not affected by the exclusion provisions in
subsections 7(1) and 10(1).
34. It is not intended that other review proceedings include proceedings that may be
available at common law or equity in relation to a services contract under a law of a
State or Territory that is described in paragraph 7(1)(c).
35. Proposed paragraph 14(3)(b) would provide an additional class of proceedings
which are other review proceedings so that the term also means proceedings in
relation to a services contract under a provision of a law of the Commonwealth, or of
a State or Territory, that is specified in regulations made for the purposes of this
paragraph.
36. The intention is to enable regulations to be made which prevent a party to a
services contract making an application under Part 3 if an application under a
prescribed Commonwealth, State or Territory law is `on foot' in relation to the same
contract, unless that other application has been discontinued or has failed for want of
jurisdiction.
Amendment 8 - Clause 15, page 12 (lines 11 to 16)
37. This amendment would modify section 15 of the Bill by omitting
subsection 15(2). Subsection 15(2) currently provides that if the Court has regard to
comparative employee remuneration as provided in paragraph 15(1)(c), it must also
consider:
· whether the terms of, and the total remuneration provided under the services
contract are proportionate with the terms of, and remuneration provided
under, other services contracts relating to the performance of similar work in
the particular industry.
38. The effect of omitting this subsection would be that the Court would be
permitted, but not required, to consider whether the total remuneration under a
services contract was less than the total remuneration under a contract where an
employee performs similar work.
Amendment 9 - Clause 15, page 12 (lines 26 and 27)
39. This amendment would modify proposed section 15 by omitting
subsection 15(5).
40. This proposed subsection currently provides that the Court must exercise its
powers under section 15 in a way that furthers the objects of this Act, as far as
practicable. However, the Court, in exercising its powers under section 15, would
necessarily have regard to the objects of the Act, as set out in proposed section 3.
Therefore, subsection 15(5) is unnecessary.
Amendment 10 - Part 4, clauses 18 to 30, page 15 (line 2) to page 27 (line 26)
41. This amendment will delete proposed Part 4 of the Bill.
42. Proposed Part 4 of the Bill would have extended the existing remuneration
protections for independent contractor outworkers in the TCF industry in Victoria
(currently in Part 22 of the Workplace Relations Act 1996) to independent contractor
TCF outworkers in all States and Territories. It was intended to provide a default
minimum remuneration guarantee that would apply to an independent contractor TCF
outworker where no similar minimum rate of remuneration was set for that outworker
by a State or Territory law.
43. Proposed Part 4 would also have set up a record-keeping regime under which a
person who engaged a contract outworker would have been required to keep certain
records relating to pay. These record-keeping requirements would have been in
addition to any other record-keeping requirements applicable under State or Territory
law. The proposed Part would also have contained an enforcement regime allowing
for the recovery of unpaid remuneration by an outworker, or their representative.
44. Proposed Part 4 would not have overridden any existing protections for
outworkers that operated under State or Territory laws or under federal awards. The
remuneration protection was intended (by virtue of proposed paragraph 7(2)(a)) to
apply in addition to any other non-remuneration related protections applicable to a
contract outworker in the State or Territory, for instance, minimum leave
entitlements.
45. During the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Committee
inquiry into the provisions of the Bill, it became clear that the remuneration guarantee
in Part 4 was unlikely to be relied upon to set the minimum rate of pay for
independent contractor TCF outworkers. This is because the Bill will not override
any obligation to abide by existing state and federal outworker protections, including
those retained in federal awards pursuant to the Workplace Relations Act 1996. There
are numerous sources of wage guarantees for contract outworkers under State or
Territory laws and State and federal awards. As the wage guarantee in Part 4 only
operates where a State or Territory law, or a federal award, does not set a minimum
rate of pay, it was thought that Part 4 has no work to do. Therefore, the Committee
unanimously recommended that proposed Part 4 be omitted from the Bill because it
`serves no useful purpose'.
46. The Senate Committee noted that the removal of proposed Part 4 was supported
by the Victorian Government and FairWear (a combined union and community
textile, clothing and footwear industry interest group).
47. Consistent with its policy to avoid unnecessary regulation, the Government
considers that it is preferable to remove proposed Part 4 of the Bill, and repeal Part 22
of the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Other outworker protections under the
Workplace Relations Act 1996 and federal awards would continue to apply. The
Government considers it appropriate that responsibility for the enactment of any
additional protections for independent contractor TCF outworkers be borne by State
and Territory Governments.
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