The Workplace Relations Act 1996 is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n law passed by the Howard Government

Howard Government

The Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...

 after coming into power in 1996. It replaced the previous Labor

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 Government's Industrial Relations Act 1988. It started operation on 1 January 1997 and provided for the continuation of the federal award system which provides a minimum set of terms and conditions for employment. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) continues to determine federal awards but has been restricted by the Act to just 20 "allowable award matters", namely:

• classification of employees
• hours of work
• rates of pay
• piece rates, tallies and bonuses
• various forms of leave (eg.