At an event on 19 March 2024, IRST President, Neroli Ellis, presented life memberships to two stalwarts of the Tasmanian Industrial Relations community on behalf of the IRST Committee. The awards were presented to:

Robert Watling, former Commissioner of the Tasmanian Industrial Commission; and

Tim Abey, former President of the Tasmanian Industrial Commission.

Robert and Tim were instrumental in framing Tasmania's industrial relations landscape, having both played a significant part in drafting the Industrial Relations Act 1984 (Tas) which is still used to settle disputes and set entitlements today. 

The new site is now easier to navigate and more user-friendly for our members and visitors. Our goal is to provide members across the state with more accessible information on the latest news and announcements relevant to industrial relations professionals.

Check out the new site for access to all events held by IRST and ALERA's State and Territory divisions, national webinars and workshops.

As an IRST member you receive complimentary access to the Journal of Industrial Relations (JIR) .

We're continually adding new content and resources to the site to assist our members. Subscribe to our mailing list to stay up to date with the latest news and events

Disputes about fixed term contracts from 6 December 2023

From 6 December 2023, new limits on the use of fixed term contracts will be in place. For employees other than casuals, this includes:

Maximum 2-year contract period — A fixed term contract can’t be for a period of more than 2 years, including renewals and extensions.

No more than 2 consecutive contracts — In certain circumstances, an employee can’t have more than 2 consecutive contracts for the same or similar work.

If an employee and employer are in dispute about a fixed term contract, and the issue can’t be resolved at the workplace, the Commission may be able to deal with the dispute. This includes by mediation, conciliation or consent arbitration.

Find out more about disputes about fixed term contracts.

The Fair Work Commission is the national workplace relations tribunal. They help resolve workplace disputes and set minimum pay and conditions.

New ‘Learning, tools and resources’ subscriber service

They have launched a new, free email subscription service called ‘Learning, tools and resources’.

Subscribers to the new service will receive occasional emails containing practical, plain language information about employment matters we deal with at the Commission.

Subscribe to Fair Work Commission — Learning, tools and resources email updates

They will send you information on a range of topics including:

• bullying and sexual harassment at work
• unfair dismissal
• discrimination (general protections)
• workplace disputes including about flexible work and parental leave.

As a tribunal, the Commission is unable to provide legal advice. They encourage you to make use of their free materials to support your work.

Do you know about ‘zombie agreements’?

They have new resources to help people find out if they may be affected by the sunsetting of ‘zombie agreements’ on 7 December 2023.

If a ‘zombie agreement’ sunsets, the legal minimum pay and conditions for employees that were covered by that agreement they are very likely to change.

• Interactive tool: Sunsetting of ‘zombie agreements’
• Fact sheet: Sunsetting of ‘zombie agreements’ (PDF)

What is a zombie agreement? — On 7 December 2023, certain agreements made before 2010 that are still in operation (‘zombie agreements’) will automatically terminate (‘sunset’) unless an application is made to the Fair Work Commission before 7 December 2023 to extend their operation.