Law and penalties
Legislation
Acts, Regulations, codes of practice and other workplace legislation administered by the department.
Codes of practice
In support of Queensland’s Industrial Relations Act 1999, three codes of practice have been developed for the building and construction industry, call centres and textile clothing and footwear suppliers industry.
Compliance
The Department regulates compliance with industrial relations law and emphasises rights and obligations as an employee and/or employer, through four avenues:
- dispute resolution
- conference hearings
- investigation of wage complaints
- auditing of workplaces
Breaches and Penalties
You may breach the Industrial Relations Act 1999 if you do not meet your legal obligations by complying with other related legislation, or codes of practice. The Act can impose a range of penalties for non-compliance.
On the spot fines and legal proceedings
Inspectors can issue infringement notices to improve compliance with the Act. Infringement notices are sometimes called on-the-spot fines and can be issued for certain offences against the Industrial Relations Act 1999.
Appeals
The purpose of appeals to a higher court is to ensure that prosecution actions are justly and correctly applied and that any penalty or order imposed is appropriate in the circumstances. The primary concern in a decision to appeal is whether the applicable law has been correctly stated and applied by the Magistrate or Commissioner.
