Information services

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR QUEENSLAND EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES:
As you would be aware, since the commencement of the federal government's workplace relations laws on 27 March 2006, employers who are constitutional corporations (including financial or trading corporations, generally Pty Ltds or Limiteds) and their employees have been covered under federal industrial relations jurisdiction.

Non-corporate employers (generally individual sole traders or partnerships) and their employees have continued to operate under Queensland industrial relations jurisdiction.

However, the Queensland Government has now introduced legislation which will refer to the Commonwealth the state's industrial relations powers for the private sector. These changes will operate as from 1 January 2010 and will mean that all employers and employees in Queensland with the exception of state and local government will be covered under a national industrial relations system administered by the Commonwealth Government.

Importantly, the Queensland Government has ensured that safeguards exist so that the national system will operate in the best interests of all Queensland employers and employees.

For further information on these changes you may contact:

Wageline on 1300 369 945
Workplace Rights hotline on 1300 737 841 or visit www.workplacerights.qld.gov.au; or
the Commonwealth's Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 or visit www.fwo.gov.au.

Wageline is a Queensland Government industrial relations information service to the private sector** provided by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

The Wageline service provides state-wide information concerning Queensland industrial relations legislation, State awards and agreements, public holidays and trading hours.

Wageline clients include employers, employees, members of the accounting and legal professions, employer organisations, employee organisations (unions) and the general public.

Wageline provides a diverse range of helpful information services including:

*Public Sector employees should contact their own industrial relations/human resource area within their Department.

Telephone information services

Wageline:

Wageline is an information call centre and is the telephone contact point for industrial relations information on State industrial instruments pertaining to employment in Queensland and legislation covering wages and employment conditions. This includes wage rates and conditions for employees, apprentices and trainees, redundancy, dismissal, occupational superannuation, annual leave, sick leave, long service leave and parental leave.

Information is also provided on legislative provisions concerning time and wage records, pay slips, rights of entry by union officials, public holidays and trading hours.

Telephone: 1300 369 945 (Queensland callers)
Telephone: (07) 3872 0550 (Interstate callers)

Wageline operator assistance:

If you require personal assistance with enquiries, our experienced staff are available between 8:00am and 4:45pm weekdays. Wageline staff are able to answer industrial relations enquiries which are not covered on the recorded information service.

Wageline's friendly and courteous staff are trained to answer many common questions about award provisions and can assist clients by simplifying industrial relations jargon. They can pass on knowledge about specific facts or circumstances where that information is in the public domain. Wageline clients should consider whether or not the information provided is pertinent to their own particular circumstances. Wageline services do not extend to providing in-depth research or legal advice about particular industrial relations issues.

The Department, in instances covered by the Private Sector Industrial Relations Enforcement Framework, may express a position or view regarding case by case circumstances and the way that an industrial instrument should be applied to those particulars. The view expressed does not purport in any way to impede a person's right to have such issues determined before the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission or another Court of competent jurisdiction.

Recorded information service

Wageline has a 24-hour 7 days a week interactive voice response service which provides recorded information on a variety of industrial relations issues, such as:

Queensland State wages and conditions on key awards
information on public holidays and allowable trading hours

Correspondence service

If more comprehensive information is required, or you do not have access to a telephone during business hours, you may wish to use our correspondence service and either email, fax or post your enquiry.

Research

Wageline provides historical information on rates of pay and award conditions. A search fee is applicable to professional agents, e.g. industrial advocates, lawyers, solicitors and accountants. Contact Wageline to obtain the search fee applicable to your enquiry. An advance payment (made payable to the Department of Justice and Attorney-General) is mandatory before any historical research is commenced.

Publications

Wageline produces and distributes easy-to-read and informative guides on key subjects. View our publications resource page to obtain print-friendly copies of relevant fact sheets.

Also view the Department of Justice and Attorney-General's resource page for more publications on industrial relations issues.

Industrial Relations Information Service (IRIS)

The Department also provides a crucial service to all Queenslanders by offering a range of information products that can be purchased through the Industrial Relations Information Service (IRIS).

IRIS operates within the Division of Private Sector Industrial Relations. It has responsibilities for accessing industrial relations information from the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) and dissemination of this information within the Department of Justice and Attorney-General in a user-friendly format that supports the availability of timely and precise information on the Wageline website and through the Wageline call centre.

While the Department provides a range of free services for general clients, it also recognises that some clients have specific needs for more extensive information.

For example:

legal research - access to a research database of decisions given by the QIRC;
accounting, reviewing or auditing wage liabilities - award history;
to meet legislative obligations, employer's needing accessibility to a consolidated copy of an award; and
payroll - notification of changes to industrial instruments.

To meet these needs, the IRIS range of products available for purchase includes:

internet subscriber access to an extensive industrial relations research database that includes current Queensland state awards (online), their associated history, advanced IRIS database search with options like full text or title only searching, Boolean Logic Search Parameters (e.g. With the Exact Phrase), the ability to search within results and a What's New Section to flag important industrial relations issues as they are published from the QIRC
an annual subscription service to individual awards, agreements and/or orders
sales of individual awards, agreements and/or orders, and
award wage summary sheet - subscriber notification of changes

For further information contact the Industrial Relations Information Service direct.

Information audit service

The Department of Justice and Attorney-General provides an information audit service to help employers and employees meet their obligations under Queensland State awards, agreements and legislation covering wages and employment conditions.

Employers in new and existing businesses can request the assistance of Wageline staff to make arrangements for an inspector to visit. An inspector can discuss specific industrial relations and compliance issues that have been identified.

Compliance services

The Queensland Government is committed to delivering responsive government, growing a diverse economy and creating jobs. Ensuring fairness in workplaces through industrial inspectors performing functions prescribed in the Industrial Relations Act 1999 (PDF, 1.9MB) contributes to these priorities. Compliance service delivery is structured regionally and aligned to dedicated disciplines, viz wage resolution, enforcement and audit.

Options are available to employees who have been unable to resolve workplace wages and conditions issues. Wageline staff can explain your choices which include:

providing information to facilitate discussions with your employer
self resolution (self recovery kit)
recovering unpaid wages and entitlements with Private Sector Industrial Relations

Alternatively, to assist with the resolution of wages and conditions disputes, employees have the right to engage their own legal representative or an industrial organisation of which they are a member.

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