{"id":"C2004A03247","name":"Builders Labourers' Federation (Cancellation of Registration) Act 1986","slug":"builders-labourers-federation-cancellation-of-registration-act-1986","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"6 of 1986","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":7465,"registerId":"commonwealth-C2004A03247-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-03-30","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Builders Labourers' Federation (Cancellation of Registration) Act 1986","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nBuilders Labourers’ Federation (Cancellation of Registration) Act 1986\n\n \n\nNo. 6, 1986\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act to cancel the registration of The Australian Building Construction Employees’ and Builders Labourers’ Federation under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Short title\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Cancellation of registration of Federation\n\n \n\n![](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\nBuilders Labourers’ Federation (Cancellation of Registration) Act 1986\n\nNo. 6, 1986\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act to cancel the registration of The Australian Building Construction Employees’ and Builders Labourers’ Federation under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904\n\n[Assented to 14 April 1986]\n\nThe Parliament of Australia enacts:\n\nWHEREAS the Parliament considers that it is desirable, in the interest of preserving the system of conciliation and arbitration for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes extending beyond the limits of any one State, to cancel the registration of The Australian Building Construction Employees’ and Builders Labourers’ Federation under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904:\n\nBE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Queen, and the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:\n\n##### 1  Short title\n\n  This Act may be cited as the Builders Labourers’ Federation (Cancellation of Registration) Act 1986.\n\n##### 2  Commencement\n\n  This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.\n\n##### 3  Cancellation of registration of Federation\n\n  The registration of The Australian Building Construction Employees’ and Builders Labourers’ Federation under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 is, by force of this section, cancelled.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act’s operative text matches its stated purpose in the preamble: it cancels the registration of The Australian Building Construction Employees’ and Builders Labourers’ Federation under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 (s 3) and takes effect on Royal Assent (s 2). The scope is limited to that single named cancellation and does not expand beyond that purpose in its operative provisions."},"complexity_factors":["Single, narrowly targeted legal operation (cancels registration of a single named organisation).","Immediate commencement on Royal Assent reduces procedural complexity.","Primary complexity arises from legal dependence on the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904: downstream effects require consulting that separate statute.","No delegated discretion or administrative procedure in the Act itself—effect is automatic rather than rule‑based.","Preamble asserts a systemic purpose, but the Act does not specify mechanisms to achieve or measure that purpose, creating an interpretive gap."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act immediately cancels the registration of the Australian Building Construction Employees’ and Builders Labourers’ Federation under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904, taking effect on Royal Assent. Parliament says the step is to preserve the national conciliation and arbitration system. The statute itself only derecognises the Federation; any loss of rights, privileges or dispute‑resolution remedies flows from how the earlier Act treats deregistered organisations."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains precisely targeted at its original purpose — the deregistration of a specific union. There has been no expansion of scope; the Act contains no regulatory framework, no ongoing administrative functions, and no provisions that could be interpreted broadly. It is a 'one-shot' statute that accomplished a single, discrete action."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 operative sections (short title, commencement, and cancellation provision)","No defined terms section","No cross-references to other legislation beyond naming the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904","Single, unconditional operative provision with no exceptions, conditions, or procedural requirements","Total length of approximately 200 words of substantive text"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short, highly targeted law that **deregisters a specific trade union** — the Australian Building Construction Employees' and Builders Labourers' Federation (commonly known as the Builders Labourers' Federation or BLF).\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Cancels the legal registration** of one particular union under Australia's old industrial relations system (the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904)\n- Once deregistered, the union **loses its official status** to represent workers, negotiate awards, and participate in the formal industrial arbitration system\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Members of the Builders Labourers' Federation (construction workers, labourers)\n- Employers in the building industry who dealt with this union\n- The union itself, which effectively ceased to exist as a legal entity under federal law\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis was a **politically significant move** — the BLF was a militant union known for its \"green bans\" (environmental protection strikes) and aggressive industrial tactics. The Hawke Labor government used this Act to shut down the union, arguing it was damaging the conciliation and arbitration system. It remains a notable example of government intervention to dissolve a union, rather than leaving it to the industrial courts or membership decisions."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/builders-labourers-federation-cancellation-of-registration-act-1986","history":"/api/acts/builders-labourers-federation-cancellation-of-registration-act-1986/history","analysis":"/api/acts/builders-labourers-federation-cancellation-of-registration-act-1986/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/builders-labourers-federation-cancellation-of-registration-act-1986/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/builders-labourers-federation-cancellation-of-registration-act-1986/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/builders-labourers-federation-cancellation-of-registration-act-1986/documents"}}