Formed 1 June 2012 Headquarters MelbourneVictoria | Jurisdiction Australia Employees 120+ | |
Minister responsible The Hon. Michaelia Cash, Minister for Employment Agency executives Nigel Hadgkiss, DirectorBrian Corney, Chief CounselHeather Hausler, Chief of Field Operations | ||
Fair Work Building & Construction (FWBC) was an Australian Government agency established by the Fair Work (Building Industry) Act 2012. FWBC commenced operations on 1 June 2012, replacing its predecessor, the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner. FWBC was replaced by the Australian Building and Construction Commission on 2 December 2016. FWBC was responsible for enforcing industrial relations laws in Australia’s building and construction industry through the provision of education, assistance and advice.
Contents
- Functions
- Investigating and auditing
- Educating and advising
- Instituting proceedings for contraventions of the Fair Work Act 2009 FW Act
- Referring matters to other Commonwealth or State and Territory bodies
- Related links
- References
FWBC aimed to ensure the rule of law applies on building sites within Australia and that building work is carried out fairly, efficiently and productively for the benefit of all building industry participants and for the benefit of the Australian economy as a whole.
The agency has offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin and Perth, with its head office located in Melbourne.
The agency’s investigators visited construction sites across Australia to ensure all building industry participants are complying with federal law.
Functions
FWBC was responsible for the following workplace relations matters in the building and construction industry:
Investigating and auditing
Investigating alleged contraventions of:
Educating and advising
Instituting proceedings for contraventions of the Fair Work Act 2009 (FW Act)
If FWBC determines a contravention has occurred, the agency may commence legal action. FWBC also has the power to intervene in court proceedings—and Fair Work Commission proceedings—that involve a building industry participant or building work.
Contraventions may relate to:
Referring matters to other Commonwealth or State and Territory bodies
Where appropriate, the FWBC can refer matters to other Commonwealth or State and Territory bodies, including the