{"id":"construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997","name":"Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997","slug":"construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":173269,"registerId":"vic-construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997","content":"Version No. 014\n\n**Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997**\n\n**No. 53 of 1997**\n\nVersion incorporating amendments as at  \n1 July 2021\n\n**table of provisions**\n\n*Section Page*\n\nPart 1—Preliminary 1\n\n1 Purpose 1\n\n2 Commencement 1\n\n3 Definitions 1\n\nPart 2—Construction Industry Long Service Leave Fund 4\n\n4 Long service leave charges 4\n\n5 Recovery of charges 5\n\n6 Entitlements 5\n\n7 Restriction on powers of trustee 5\n\n8 Registers 6\n\n9 Requirement to keep records and make returns 7\n\n10 Trustee may request information 8\n\n11 Enforcement of information request 9\n\n11A Authorised employee may represent trustee in proceeding 10\n\n12 Disputes 10\n\n13 Contracting out prohibited 12\n\n14 Rule against perpetuities 12\n\n14A Extension of application to certain workers and working sub‑contractors 12\n\nPart 3—Miscellaneous 13\n\n15 Extension of period for filing charges 13\n\n15A Service of documents 13\n\n16 General provisions as to proceedings for offences 14\n\n17 Offences by corporations and partnerships etc. 14\n\n17A Disclosure of information 15\n\n18 Reciprocal arrangements 15\n\n19 Transitional reciprocal arrangements 16\n\n20 Repeal of Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1983 17\n\n21 Annual report 17\n\n22 Transitional provisions (working sub-contractors) 17\n\nPart 4—Property transfer and staff superannuation 18\n\nDivision 1—Preliminary 18\n\n23 Definitions 18\n\n24 Directions 20\n\nDivision 2—Property transfer by operation of Act 20\n\n25 Trustee to be successor in law of former Board 20\n\n26 Construction Industry Long Service Leave Fund 21\n\nDivision 3—Property transfer by allocation before commencement day 21\n\n27 Minister may direct transfer of property 21\n\n28 Property transferred in accordance with direction 22\n\n29 Allocation of property etc. subject to encumbrances 22\n\nDivision 4—Staff superannuation 23\n\n30 Superannuation 23\n\nDivision 5—General 24\n\n31 Value to State of former Board property 24\n\n32 Substitution of party to agreement 24\n\n33 Former Board instruments 25\n\n34 Proceedings 25\n\n35 Interests in land 25\n\n36 Amendment of Register 26\n\n37 Taxes 26\n\n38 Evidence 26\n\n39 Re-structuring costs 27\n\n40 Validity of things done under this Part 27\n\nEndnotes 29\n\n1 General information 29\n\n2 Table of Amendments 31\n\n3 Amendments Not in Operation 33\n\n4 Explanatory details 34\n\n**Version No.** **014**\n\n**Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997**\n\n**No. 53 of 1997**\n\nVersion incorporating amendments as at  \n1 July 2021\n\n**The Parliament of Victoria enacts as follows:**\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n\t1 Purpose\n\nThe purpose of this Act is to repeal the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1983** and provide for the scheme established by that Act to be administered in accordance with a trust deed by a company incorporated under the Corporations Law[[1]](#endnote-2).\n\n\t2 Commencement\n\n(1) This Part comes into operation on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent.\n\n(2) Subject to subsection (3), the remaining provisions of this Act come into operation on a day or days to be proclaimed.\n\n(3) If a provision referred to in subsection (2) does not come into operation before 1 January 1998, it comes into operation on that day.\n\n\t3 Definitions\n\n(1) In this Act—\n\n***commencement day*** means the day on which section 20 comes into operation;\n\nS. 3(1) def. of *director* amended by No. 44/2001 s. 3(Sch. item 23).\n\n***director***, in relation to a corporation, has the same meaning as in section 9 of the Corporations Act;\n\n***existing staff member*** means a person who, immediately before the commencement day—\n\n(a) was an officer or employee under the **Public Sector Management Act 1992** assisting the former Board in the administration of the former Act; or\n\n(b) was employed by the former Board;\n\n***former Act*** means the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1983** as in force immediately before its repeal;\n\n***former Board*** means the Construction Industry Long Service Leave Board established under Part II of the former Act;\n\n***former fund*** means the Construction Industry Long Service Leave Fund established under section 9 of the former Act;\n\n***fund*** means the Construction Industry Long Service Leave Fund established under the trust deed;\n\n***person*** includes an unincorporated body and a partnership;\n\n***trust deed*** means the trust deed executed by CoINVEST Limited A.C.N. 078 004 985 as trustee on 1 April 1997 as amended and in force for the time being;\n\n***trustee*** means CoINVEST Limited A.C.N. 078 004 985 or any new trustee appointed under, and in accordance with, the trust deed.\n\n(2) Words and expressions used in the rules set out in Schedule 2 to the trust deed and in this Act have the same respective meanings in this Act as they have in those rules as amended and in force for the time being.\n\n(3) Subsection (2) does not apply to the extent that the context or subject-matter otherwise indicates or requires.\n\nPart 2—Construction Industry Long Service Leave Fund\n\n\t4 Long service leave charges\n\nS. 4(1) substituted by No. 90/2004 s. 4(1).\n\n(1) An employer must pay to the trustee a long service leave charge in respect of every worker employed by the employer to perform construction work in the construction industry.\n\nS. 4(1A) inserted by No. 90/2004 s. 4(1).\n\n(1A) A working sub-contractor (who has made an election referred to in subsection (4)) must pay to the trustee a long service leave charge in respect of construction work performed by the working sub-contractor in the construction industry.\n\n(2) The date by which a long service leave charge is payable, the period in respect of which it is payable, the amount of charge payable and the method by which that amount is to be calculated are as determined from time to time by the trustee in accordance with the trust deed.\n\n(3) The long service leave charge imposed on an employer in respect of a worker must not be more than 3% of the ordinary pay of the worker.\n\nS. 4(4) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 4(2).\n\n(4) The trust deed must permit a working sub-contractor to elect to pay a long service leave charge in respect of construction work performed by the working sub-contractor in the construction industry and to revoke that election at any time.\n\n(5) The trust deed may provide for long service leave charges to be payable at different rates in respect of—\n\n(a) workers and working sub-contractors;\n\nS. 4(5)(b) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 4(3).\n\n(b) different classes of construction work performed by workers or working sub-contractors in the construction industry.\n\n\t5 Recovery of charges\n\n(1) The trustee may recover any amount of long service leave charge owing to the trustee by an employer or working sub-contractor, together with interest in accordance with subsection (2), as a debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.\n\nS. 5(1A) inserted by No. 90/2004 s. 5.\n\n(1A) The trustee may recover an amount referred to in subsection (1) from a related body corporate (within the meaning of the Corporations Act) of an employer or working sub-contractor.\n\n(2) Interest at the rate for the time being fixed under section 2 of the **Penalty Interest Rates Act 1983** is payable on any amount owing to the trustee calculated from the date on which the amount becomes due until the date on which the amount is paid or otherwise recovered under subsection (1).\n\n\t6 Entitlements\n\n(1) Every worker is entitled to long service leave, and to be paid benefits out of the fund, in respect of continuous service in the construction industry.\n\n(2) Every working sub-contractor who has paid long service leave charges is entitled to be paid benefits out of the fund in respect of continuous service in the construction industry.\n\n(3) The amount of the entitlement and the method by which that amount is to be calculated are as determined from time to time by the trustee in accordance with the trust deed.\n\n\t7 Restriction on powers of trustee\n\n(1) The trustee must not, without the prior approval of the Governor in Council, exercise any power, authority or discretion given to the trustee by the trust deed the exercise of which would have the effect of enlarging the class of persons capable of being paid benefits out of the fund.\n\n(2) Without limiting subsection (1), that subsection—\n\n(a) has effect with respect to any addition to, or any amendment, modification, variation, deletion, revocation, substitution or replacement of, the whole or any part of the trust deed by which—\n\n(i) the meaning or scope of the expressions \"construction work\" or \"construction industry\" is enlarged, whether directly or indirectly; or\n\n(ii) an award is prescribed for the purposes of the fund;\n\nS. 7(2)(b) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 6(1).\n\n(b) does not have effect with respect to a decision as to whether or not a particular person is within a class of persons then capable of being paid benefits out of the fund (whether as a result of an amendment of a prescribed award or otherwise) or as to the amount of any benefit to which such a person is entitled;\n\nS. 7(2)(c) inserted by No. 90/2004 s. 6(2).\n\n(c) does not have effect with respect to a decision as to the amount of any benefit capable of being paid out of the fund.\n\n\t8 Registers\n\n(1) An employer whose name is not included in the register of employers or the register of working sub-contractors kept by the trustee in accordance with the trust deed must not for more than 5 days in any month—\n\nS. 8(1)(a) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 7(1).\n\n(a) employ workers under a contract of employment to perform construction work in the construction industry; or\n\nS. 8(1)(b) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 7(2).\n\n(b) being a principal contractor, engage any other employer or working sub-contractor by contract (not being a contract of employment) to perform construction work in the construction industry.\n\n1. 20 penalty units.\n\n\nS. 8(2) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 7(3).\n\n(2) A working sub-contractor whose name is not included in the register of working sub-contractors kept by the trustee in accordance with the trust deed must not, for more than 5 days in any month, perform construction work as a working sub-contractor in the construction industry.\n\n1. 20 penalty units.\n\n\nS. 8(3) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 7(4).\n\n(3) A worker whose name is not included in the register of workers kept by the trustee in accordance with the trust deed must not, for more than 5 days in any month, perform construction work as a worker in the construction industry.\n\n1. 20 penalty units.\n\n\n\t9 Requirement to keep records and make returns\n\n(1) An employer must—\n\nS. 9(1)(a) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 8(1).\n\n(a) in accordance with the trust deed, keep records containing information relating to workers employed to perform construction work in the construction industry;\n\n(b) retain any such record for at least 7 years after the last entry was made in it;\n\nS. 9(1)(c) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 8(2).\n\n(c) in accordance with the trust deed, send to the trustee from time to time information relating to workers employed to perform construction work in the construction industry.\n\n1. 20 penalty units.\n\n\n(2) An employer must not make any false or misleading statement in, or any material omission from, any record that the employer is required by subsection (1)(a) to keep.\n\n1. 20 penalty units.\n\n\n(3) In a proceeding for an offence against subsection (2) it is a defence to the charge for the accused to prove that the statement or omission resulted from an error made in good faith.\n\n\t10 Trustee may request information\n\n(1) The trustee may, by notice in writing given to an employer or a working sub-contractor or any person whom the trustee believes to be an employer or a working sub-contractor, require that person—\n\n(a) to give any information to the trustee; or\n\n(b) to produce to the trustee any document under that person's control—\n\nthat is relevant to the ascertainment by the trustee of that or any other person's rights or liabilities under the trust deed.\n\n(2) A notice under subsection (1) must specify—\n\n(a) the time or times, not sooner than 28 days after the date of the notice, at which; and\n\n(b) the form and manner in which—\n\nthe information is to be given or the document produced.\n\n(3) A person to whom a notice is given under subsection (1) must not—\n\n(a) refuse or fail to comply with the notice; or\n\n(b) in response to the notice give information that is false or misleading in a material particular.\n\n1. 20 penalty units.\n\n\n(4) A person is not excused from complying with a notice under subsection (1) on the ground that compliance might tend to incriminate the person but, if the person in writing given to the trustee before complying with the notice, claims that compliance might tend to incriminate the person, any information given or document produced by the person in compliance with the notice is not admissible in evidence against the person in criminal proceedings, other than proceedings under this Act or other proceedings in respect of the falsity of the information or document.\n\n(5) In a proceeding for an offence against subsection (3)(b) it is a defence to the charge for the accused to prove that at the time at which the offence is alleged to have been committed, the accused believed on reasonable grounds—\n\n(a) in the case of false information—that the information was true; or\n\n(b) in the case of misleading information—that the information was not misleading.\n\n\t11 Enforcement of information request\n\n(1) Irrespective of whether a proceeding is commenced for an offence against section 10(3)(a), the trustee may apply to the Magistrates' Court for an order directing a person to whom a notice was given under section 10(1) to comply with the notice within a specified time.\n\n(2) On an application under subsection (1) the Magistrates' Court must, if it considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the person has refused or failed to comply with the notice, grant the application unless it considers that in the circumstances there are reasonable grounds for not doing so.\n\n(3) In the application of section 135 of the **Magistrates' Court Act 1989** to an order under this section—\n\n(a) subsection (3)(a) of section 135 has effect as if it provided for a fine of not more than 10 penalty units for every day during which the default continues; and\n\n(b) subsection (4)(b) of section 135 has effect as if it provided for maximum aggregate sums of 400 penalty units.\n\nS. 11A inserted by No. 90/2004 s. 9.\n\n\t11A Authorised employee may represent trustee in proceeding\n\nDespite anything to the contrary in any other Act, if the trustee is a party to a proceeding—\n\n(a) for the recovery of long service leave charges under section 5; or\n\n(b) for an offence against section 10(3)(a)—\n\nthe trustee may appear in the proceeding by an employee of the trustee authorised by the trustee to do so.\n\n\t12 Disputes\n\n(1) Any of the following disputes (to the extent to which it involves issues that are not the subject of or have not been determined in a proceeding for an offence against this Act) is a dispute for the purposes of this section—\n\nS. 12(1)(a) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 10(1).\n\n(a) a dispute about whether a person is an employer who employs or engages a person or persons to perform construction work in the construction industry between—\n\n(i) that person and the trustee; or\n\n(ii) that person and a person or persons employed or engaged by that person; or\n\n(iii) a person or persons employed or engaged by that person and the trustee;\n\nS. 12(1)(b) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 10(2).\n\n(b) a dispute about whether a person is employed or engaged to perform construction work in the construction industry between—\n\n(i) that person and an employer; or\n\n(ii) that person and the trustee; or\n\n(iii) an employer and the trustee;\n\n(c) any other dispute concerning the scheme dealt with by the trust deed between—\n\n(i) an employer and a person or persons employed or engaged by the employer; or\n\n(ii) any person referred to in subparagraph (i) and the trustee; or\n\n(iii) a working sub-contractor and the trustee.\n\nS. 12(2) amended by No. 50/2011 s. 46(Sch. item 3).\n\n(2) If a dispute is not settled, the parties to the dispute must be taken to have entered into an agreement in writing to refer the dispute to arbitration in accordance with the **Commercial Arbitration Act 2011** before a sole arbitrator appointed by the Secretary-General for the time being of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.\n\n(3) Unless the arbitrator otherwise directs, the costs of the arbitration shall be borne equally by the parties to the dispute.\n\n\t13 Contracting out prohibited\n\nExcept as is otherwise expressly provided by this Act or the trust deed, any term of an agreement purporting to exclude, limit or modify the operation of this Act or the trust deed is void.\n\n\t14 Rule against perpetuities\n\nWithout limiting section 17 of the **Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 1968**, the rule of law known as the rule against perpetuities does not apply to the fund and must be deemed never to have applied to the former fund.\n\nS. 14A inserted by No. 90/2004 s. 11.\n\n\t14A Extension of application to certain workers and working sub‑contractors\n\nIn this Part a reference to a worker or working sub-contractor includes a reference to a person entitled to long service leave and to be paid benefits out of the fund in accordance with rule 31A or rule 31B in Schedule 2 to the trust deed.\n\nPart 3—Miscellaneous\n\n\t15 Extension of period for filing charges\n\nDespite anything to the contrary in any other Act, a charge for an offence against this Act may be filed at any time within 5 years after the commission of the alleged offence.\n\nS. 15A inserted by No. 90/2004 s. 12.\n\n\t15A Service of documents\n\nA notice or other document to be served on or given to a person under this Act must be served or given—\n\n(a) by delivering it personally to the person; or\n\n(b) by leaving it at the person's usual or last known place of residence or business with a person apparently over the age of 16 years and apparently residing or employed at that place; or\n\n(c) by sending it to the person by registered post addressed to the person's usual or last known place of residence; or\n\n(d) if the person is a corporation—\n\n(i) by sending it by registered post to the registered office in Victoria of the corporation; or\n\n(ii) by giving it to a person who is an officer of the corporation who is authorised to accept service of notices and who is employed at the registered office of the corporation.\n\n\t16 General provisions as to proceedings for offences\n\nThe following provisions have effect with respect to proceedings for offences against this Act—\n\nS. 16(a) amended by No. 68/2009 s. 97(Sch. item 26).\n\n(a) the onus of proof that the person named in a charge as an employee of the accused was not employed as alleged in that charge is on the accused;\n\n(b) it is not a defence that an employer was not in Victoria at the time the alleged offence was committed.\n\n\t17 Offences by corporations and partnerships etc.\n\n(1) If a corporation contravenes a provision of this Act, each person who is a director of the corporation or who is concerned in the management of the corporation is to be taken to have contravened the same provision if the person knowingly authorised or permitted the contravention.\n\n(2) A person may be proceeded against and convicted under a provision in accordance with subsection (1) whether or not the corporation has been proceeded against or convicted under that provision.\n\n(3) Nothing in this section affects any liability imposed on a corporation for an offence committed by the corporation against this Act.\n\n(4) If in a proceeding for an offence against this Act it is necessary to establish the intention of a corporation, it is sufficient to show that a servant or agent of the corporation had that intention.\n\n(5) If this Act provides that a person is guilty of an offence, that reference to a person must—\n\n(a) if the person is a partnership, be read as a reference to each member of the partnership; and\n\n(b) if the person is an unincorporated association, be read as a reference to each member of the committee of management of the association.\n\nS. 17A inserted by No. 14/2021 s. 24.\n\n\t17A Disclosure of information\n\n(1) At the request of the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority, the trustee may disclose relevant information to that Authority for the performance of that Authority's functions.\n\n(2) In this section—\n\n***Portable Long Service Benefits Authority*** means the Authority established by section 35 of the **Long Service Benefits Portability Act 2018**;\n\n***relevant information*** means information held by the trustee in relation to the administration of this Act.\n\n\t18 Reciprocal arrangements\n\n(1) The Minister may make a reciprocal arrangement with a Minister responsible for the administration of a corresponding law in any other State or Territory of the Commonwealth.\n\n(2) A reciprocal arrangement may relate to long service leave payments, the exchange of information about service credits and entitlements to long service payments between the trustee and any corresponding body under a corresponding law and any other matters relating to long service leave payments which the Minister thinks are necessary or convenient.\n\nS. 18(3) amended by No. 90/2004 s. 13.\n\n(3) If—\n\n(a) a person has been paid a long service leave payment by a corresponding body under a corresponding law; and\n\n(b) the payment is either wholly or partly in respect of a period of service in the construction industry in Victoria; and\n\n(c) the Minister has entered into a reciprocal arrangement with the Minister responsible for administering that corresponding law—\n\nthe trustee must pay to the corresponding body the amount specified in the reciprocal arrangement.\n\n(4) A repayment by the trustee under subsection (3) is subject to any terms and conditions that are specified in the reciprocal arrangement.\n\n(5) If a reciprocal arrangement has been made, this Act and the trust deed are to be construed as applying with any modifications that are necessary to give effect to the terms of the reciprocal arrangement.\n\n(6) In this section ***corresponding law***,  in relation to a State or Territory of the Commonwealth other than Victoria, means a law of that State or Territory that—\n\n(a) provides for long service leave payments to persons employed in the construction industry that are the same as, or are similar to, the payments provided for by this Act and the trust deed; and\n\n(b) is specified by the Minister by notice published in the Government Gazette as a corresponding law for the purposes of this section.\n\n\t19 Transitional reciprocal arrangements\n\n(1) A reciprocal arrangement made under section 46A of the former Act in force immediately before the commencement day continues in force on and after that day according to its tenor but with the modification that, in its application to Victoria, the trustee is bound by it in place of the former Board and has all the rights, liabilities, duties and obligations of the former Board under that arrangement.\n\n(2) The laws listed in Schedule 3 to the Construction Industry Long Service Leave Regulations 1993 as in force immediately before the commencement day are, until a notice is published by the Minister under section 18(6)(b), deemed to be corresponding laws for the purposes of section 18.\n\n\t20 Repeal of Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1983\n\nNo. 9935.\n\nReprinted to No. 100/1995. Subsequently amended by No. 59/1996.\n\nThe **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1983** is **repealed**.\n\n\t21 Annual report\n\nThe trustee must prepare and submit the report of operations and financial statements of the former Board for its final financial year in accordance with Part 7 of the **Financial Management Act 1994**.\n\n\t22 Transitional provisions (working sub-contractors)\n\n(1) A working sub-contractor to whom Parts V and VI of the former Act applied immediately before the commencement day is deemed to have made an election referred to in section 4(4) of this Act.\n\n(2) An election deemed to have been made by force of subsection (1) may be revoked by the working sub-contractor in accordance with the trust deed.\n\nPart 4—Property transfer and staff superannuation\n\nDivision 1—Preliminary\n\n\t23 Definitions\n\n(1) In this Part—\n\n***complying superannuation fund*** means a superannuation entity or a superannuation fund within the meaning of section 10 of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 of the Commonwealth which is a complying superannuation fund or a complying approved deposit fund within the meaning of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 of the Commonwealth;\n\n***former Board instrument*** means an instrument (including a legislative instrument other than this Act and the former Act and regulations under that Act) or an oral agreement subsisting immediately before the appropriate relevant date—\n\n(a) to which the former Board was a party; or\n\n(b) that was given to or in favour of the former Board; or\n\n(c) that refers to the former Board; or\n\n(d) under which—\n\n(i) money is, or may become, payable to or by the former Board; or\n\n(ii) other property is to be, or may become liable to be, transferred to or by the former Board;\n\n***former Board property*** means property, rights or liabilities of the former Board that, under this Part, have vested in, or become liabilities of, the trustee or the State;\n\n***liabilities*** means all liabilities, duties and obligations, whether actual, contingent or prospective;\n\n***property*** means any legal or equitable estate or interest (whether present or future and whether vested or contingent) in real or personal property of any description;\n\n***relevant date***—\n\n(a) in relation to property, rights or liabilities of the former Board that are transferred to the trustee under Division 2, means the commencement day;\n\n(b) in relation to an allocation statement under Division 3 or property, rights or liabilities allocated under such a statement, means the date fixed by the Minister under subsection (2) for the purposes of that statement;\n\n***rights*** means all rights, powers, privileges and immunities, whether actual, contingent or prospective;\n\n***transferee***, in relation to former Board property, means the trustee or the State, as the case requires, to which the property has been transferred under this Part.\n\n(2) The Minister may, by notice published in the Government Gazette, fix a date before the commencement day as the relevant date for the purposes of an allocation statement under Division 3.\n\n\t24 Directions\n\n(1) The Minister may give to the former Board any written direction that he or she thinks fit in connection with the winding-up of the former Board and the transfer of its property, rights and liabilities.\n\n(2) The former Board must comply with a direction given under this section.\n\nDivision 2—Property transfer by operation of Act\n\n\t25 Trustee to be successor in law of former Board\n\nOn the commencement day—\n\n(a) the former Board is abolished and its members and any deputy members go out of office;\n\n(b) all property and rights that, immediately before that day, were vested in the former Board are, by force of this section, vested in the trustee;\n\n(c) all liabilities of the former Board existing immediately before that day become, by force of this section, liabilities of the trustee;\n\n(d) subject to section 34, the trustee is, by force of this section, substituted as a party to any proceeding pending in any court or tribunal to which the former Board was a party immediately before that day;\n\n(e) subject to section 32, the trustee is, by force of this section, substituted as a party to any arrangement or contract entered into by or on behalf of the former Board as a party and in force immediately before that day;\n\n(f) any reference to the former Board in any Act (other than this Act) or in any subordinate instrument within the meaning of the **Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984** must, so far as it relates to any period occurring on or after that day and if not inconsistent with the context or subject-matter, be construed as a reference to the trustee.\n\n\t26 Construction Industry Long Service Leave Fund\n\nOn the commencement day the former fund is abolished and all money forming part of it immediately before that day forms part of the fund on and from that day and may be dealt with in accordance with the trust deed.\n\nDivision 3—Property transfer by allocation before commencement day\n\n\t27 Minister may direct transfer of property\n\n(1) The Minister may give a direction in writing to the former Board directing it to transfer, in accordance with the direction, property, rights or liabilities of a specified kind to the State.\n\n(2) Within 21 days after receiving a direction under subsection (1), the former Board must give to the Minister a statement approved by the Minister relating to the property, rights and liabilities of the former Board to which the direction relates, as at a date specified by the Minister for the purposes of this section.\n\n(3) A statement under this section—\n\n(a) must allocate the property, rights and liabilities of the former Board shown in the statement in accordance with the directions of the Minister; and\n\n(b) must be signed by the chief executive officer of the former Board.\n\n(4) If a statement under this section is approved by the Minister—\n\n(a) the Minister must sign the statement; and\n\n(b) the statement is an allocation statement for the purposes of this Part.\n\n(5) The Minister may at any time direct the former Board to amend a statement given to him or her under this section as specified in the direction.\n\n(6) An allocation statement under this section may be amended by writing signed by the Minister.\n\n(7) In this section, ***statement*** and ***allocation statement*** include a statement or allocation statement amended in accordance with this section.\n\n\t28 Property transferred in accordance with direction\n\nOn the relevant date—\n\n(a) all property and rights of the former Board, wherever located, that are allocated under an allocation statement in accordance with a direction of the Minister under section 27, vest in the State in accordance with the statement; and\n\n(b) all liabilities of the former Board, wherever located, that are allocated under an allocation statement become liabilities of the State in accordance with the statement.\n\n\t29 Allocation of property etc. subject to encumbrances\n\nUnless an allocation statement under this Division otherwise provides, where, under this Division—\n\n(a) property and rights vest in; or\n\n(b) liabilities become liabilities of—\n\nthe State in accordance with a direction under section 27—\n\n(c) the property and rights so vested are subject to the encumbrances (if any) to which they were subject immediately before so vesting; and\n\n(d) the rights to which the former Board was entitled in respect of those liabilities immediately before they ceased to be liabilities of the former Board vest in the State.\n\nDivision 4—Staff superannuation\n\n\t30 Superannuation\n\n(1) An existing staff member who accepts an offer of employment made by the trustee may elect, no later than 2 months after the commencement day, to transfer the transfer amount to a complying superannuation fund.\n\n(2) The transfer amount and the terms and conditions that apply in respect of the transfer are to be determined by the Minister administering the **State Superannuation Act 1988**.\n\n(3) The Victorian Superannuation Board must pay out of the State Superannuation Fund to the relevant complying superannuation fund the transfer amount less any tax required to be paid under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 of the Commonwealth.\n\n(4) If an existing staff member who accepts an offer of employment made by the trustee—\n\n(a) elects not to transfer a transfer amount to a complying superannuation fund under subsection (1); or\n\n(b) fails to make an election in accordance with subsection (1)—\n\nthe existing staff member is deemed, for the purposes of the **State Superannuation Act 1988**, to have resigned from his or her employment with an employing authority within the meaning of that Act on the expiry of the period of 2 months beginning on the commencement day.\n\n(5) For the purposes of the **Superannuation (Portability) Act 1989**, an existing staff member to whom subsection (4) applies is entitled by virtue of this section to elect to make an application in accordance with section 5 of that Act.\n\nDivision 5—General\n\n\t31 Value to State of former Board property\n\nThe value to the State as at the relevant date of property, rights and liabilities of the former Board that are allocated to it under an allocation statement is the value shown in, or calculated in accordance with, the relevant allocation statement.\n\n\t32 Substitution of party to agreement\n\nWhere, under an allocation statement, the rights and liabilities of the former Board under an agreement vest in or are allocated to the State in accordance with a direction under section 27—\n\n(a) the State becomes, on the relevant date, a party to the agreement in place of the former Board; and\n\n(b) on and after the relevant date, the agreement has effect as if the State had always been a party to the agreement.\n\n\t33 Former Board instruments\n\nEach former Board instrument relating to former Board property continues to have effect according to its tenor on and after the relevant date in relation to the transfer of that property as if a reference in the instrument to the former Board were a reference to the transferee.\n\n\t34 Proceedings\n\nIf, immediately before the relevant date, proceedings relating to former Board property (including arbitration proceedings) to which the former Board was a party were pending or existing in any court or tribunal, then, on and after that date, the transferee is substituted for the former Board as a party to the proceedings and has the same rights in the proceedings as the former Board had.\n\n\t35 Interests in land\n\nWithout prejudice to the generality of this Part and despite anything to the contrary in any other Act or law if, immediately before the relevant date, the former Board is, in relation to former Board property, the registered proprietor of an interest in land under the **Transfer of Land Act 1958**, then on and after that date—\n\n(a) the transferee is to be taken to be the registered proprietor of that interest in land; and\n\n(b) the transferee has the same rights and remedies in respect of that interest as the former Board had.\n\n\t36 Amendment of Register\n\n(1) The Registrar of Titles, on being requested to do so and on delivery of any relevant certificate of title or other instrument, must make any amendments in the Register that are necessary because of the operation of this Part.\n\nS. 36(2) repealed by No. 85/1998 s. 24(Sch. item 13).\n\n* * * * *\n\n\t37 Taxes\n\nNo stamp duty or other tax is chargeable under any Act in respect of anything effected by or done under this Part or in respect of any act or transaction connected with or necessary to be done by reason of this Part, including a transaction entered into or an instrument made, executed, lodged or given, for the purpose of, or connected with the transfer of property, rights or liabilities of the former Board.\n\n\t38 Evidence\n\n(1) Documentary or other evidence that would have been admissible for or against the interests of the former Board in relation to former Board property if this Part had not been enacted is admissible for or against the interests of the transferee.\n\nS. 38(2) amended by No. 69/2009 s. 54(Sch. Pt 1 item 10.1).\n\n(2) The **Evidence Act 2008** applies with respect to the books of account of the former Board and to entries made in those books of account before the relevant date, whether or not they relate to former Board property, as if those books of account and entries were business records.\n\nS. 38(3) repealed by No. 69/2009 s. 54(Sch. Pt 1 item 10.2).\n\n* * * * *\n\n\t39 Re-structuring costs\n\n(1) The Minister may, by notice in writing served on the trustee, require it to pay a specified amount to the State in respect of the costs incurred by the State in connection with the winding-up of the former Board and the transfer of its property, rights and liabilities.\n\n(2) The trustee must, within the period specified in the notice, pay the specified amount out of the fund to the Minister for payment into the Consolidated Fund.\n\n(3) An amount payable under this section may be recovered in a court of competent jurisdiction as a debt due to the State.\n\n\t40 Validity of things done under this Part\n\nNothing effected or to be effected by this Part or done or suffered under this Part—\n\n(a) is to be regarded as placing any person in breach of contract or confidence or as otherwise making any person guilty of a civil wrong; or\n\n(b) is to be regarded as placing any person in breach of or as constituting a default under any Act or other law or obligation or any provision in any agreement, arrangement or understanding including, but not limited to, any provision or obligation prohibiting, restricting or regulating the assignment, transfer, sale or disposal of any property or the disclosure of any information; or\n\n(c) is to be regarded as fulfilling any condition which allows a person to exercise a power, right or remedy in respect of or to terminate any agreement or obligation; or\n\n(d) is to be regarded as giving rise to any remedy for a party to a contract, instrument or oral agreement or as causing or permitting the termination of any contract, instrument or oral agreement because of a change in the beneficial or legal ownership of any asset, right or liability; or\n\n(e) is to be regarded as causing any contract, instrument or oral agreement to be void or otherwise unenforceable; or\n\n(f) is to be regarded as frustrating any contract; or\n\n(g) releases any surety or other obligee wholly or in part from any obligation.\n\n\n\nEndnotes\n\n1 General information\n\nSee [www.legislation.vic.gov.au](http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au) for Victorian Bills, Acts and current Versions of legislation and up-to-date legislative information.\n\n*Minister's second reading speech—*\n\n*Legislative Assembly: 23 April 1997*\n\n*Legislative Council: 8 October 1997*\n\nThe long title for the Bill for this Act was \"to repeal the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1983** and provide for the scheme established by that Act to be administered in accordance with a trust deed by a company incorporated under the Corporations Law and for other purposes.\"\n\nThe **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** was assented to on 21 October 1997 and came into operation as follows:\n\nPart 1 on 21 October 1997: section 2(1); rest of Act on 1 December 1997: Government Gazette 20 November 1997 page 3169.\n\nINTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)\n\nStyle changes\n\nSection 54A of the ILA authorises the making of the style changes set out in Schedule 1 to that Act.\n\nReferences to ILA s. 39B\n\nSidenotes which cite ILA s. 39B refer to section 39B of the ILA which provides that where an undivided section or clause of a Schedule is amended by the insertion of one or more subsections or subclauses, the original section or clause becomes subsection or subclause (1) and is amended by the insertion of the expression \"(1)\" at the beginning of the original section or clause.\n\nInterpretation\n\nAs from 1 January 2001, amendments to section 36 of the ILA have the following effects:\n\n• Headings\n\nAll headings included in an Act which is passed on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Act. Any heading inserted in an Act which was passed before 1 January 2001, by an Act passed on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Act. This includes headings to Parts, Divisions or Subdivisions in a Schedule; sections; clauses; items; tables; columns; examples; diagrams; notes or forms. See section 36(1A)(2A).\n\n• Examples, diagrams or notes\n\nAll examples, diagrams or notes included in an Act which is passed on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Act. Any examples, diagrams or notes inserted in an Act which was passed before 1 January 2001, by an Act passed on or after 1 January 2001, form part of that Act. See section 36(3A).\n\n• Punctuation\n\nAll punctuation included in an Act which is passed on or after 1 January 2001 forms part of that Act. Any punctuation inserted in an Act which was passed before 1 January 2001, by an Act passed on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Act. See section 36(3B).\n\n• Provision numbers\n\nAll provision numbers included in an Act form part of that Act, whether inserted in the Act before, on or after 1 January 2001. Provision numbers include section numbers, subsection numbers, paragraphs and subparagraphs. See section 36(3C).\n\n• Location of \"legislative items\"\n\nA \"legislative item\" is a penalty, an example or a note. As from 13 October 2004, a legislative item relating to a provision of an Act is taken to be at the foot of that provision even if it is preceded or followed by another legislative item that relates to that provision. For example, if a penalty at the foot of a provision is followed by a note, both of these legislative items will be regarded as being at the foot of that provision. See section 36B.\n\n• Other material\n\nAny explanatory memorandum, table of provisions, endnotes, index and other material printed after the Endnotes does not form part of an Act.  \nSee section 36(3)(3D)(3E).\n\n2 Table of Amendments\n\nThis publication incorporates amendments made to the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** by Acts and subordinate instruments.\n\n–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––\n\n**Transfer of Land (Single Register) Act 1998, No. 85/1998**\n\n| Assent Date: | 17.11.98 |\n| --- | --- |\n| Commencement Date: | S. 24(Sch. item 13) on 1.1.99: s. 2(3) |\n| Current State: | This information relates only to the provision/s amending the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** |\n\n\n**Corporations (Consequential Amendments) Act 2001, No. 44/2001**\n\n| Assent Date: | 27.6.01 |\n| --- | --- |\n| Commencement Date: | S. 3(Sch. item 23) on 15.7.01: s. 2 |\n| Current State: | This information relates only to the provision/s amending the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** |\n\n\nConstruction Industry Long Service Leave (Amendment) Act 2004, No. 90/2004\n\n| Assent Date: | 7.12.04 |\n| --- | --- |\n| Commencement Date: | 1.3.05: Government Gazette 24.2.05 p. 319 |\n| Current State: | All of Act in operation |\n\n\nCriminal Procedure Amendment (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2009, No. 68/2009\n\n| Assent Date: | 24.11.09 |\n| --- | --- |\n| Commencement Date: | S. 97(Sch. item 26) on 1.1.10: Government Gazette 10.12.09 p. 3215 |\n| Current State: | This information relates only to the provision/s amending the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** |\n\n\nStatute Law Amendment (Evidence Consequential Provisions) Act 2009, No. 69/2009\n\n| Assent Date: | 24.11.09 |\n| --- | --- |\n| Commencement Date: | S. 54(Sch. Pt 1 item 10) on 1.1.10: s. 2(2) |\n| Current State: | This information relates only to the provision/s amending the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** |\n\n\nCommercial Arbitration Act 2011, No. 50/2011\n\n| Assent Date: | 18.10.11 |\n| --- | --- |\n| Commencement Date: | S. 46(Sch. item 3) on 17.11.11: Special Gazette (No. 369) 15.11.11 p. 1 |\n| Current State: | This information relates only to the provision/s amending the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** |\n\n\n**Industrial Relations Legislation Amendment Act 2021, No. 14/2021**\n\n| *Assent Date:* | 11.5.21 |\n| --- | --- |\n| *Commencement Date:* | S. 24 on 1.7.21: s. 2(1) |\n| *Current State:* | This information relates only to the provision/s amending the **Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997** |\n\n\n–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––\n\n3 Amendments Not in Operation\n\nThis version does not contain amendments that are not yet in operation.\n\n4 Explanatory details\n\n1. S. 1: See regulation 5 of the Corporations (Ancillary Provisions) Regulations 2011, S.R. No. 34/2011. [↑](#endnote-ref-2)","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act appears consistent with its original intent — creating a portable long service leave scheme for the Victorian construction industry. This type of legislation typically remains focused on its founding purpose, though amendments over time (as suggested by the consolidated version history) may have adjusted eligibility thresholds, levy rates, or administrative arrangements without fundamentally changing the scheme's core function."},"complexity_factors":["Portable entitlements scheme requires tracking worker history across multiple employers — more administratively complex than standard employment leave laws","Requires coordination between workers, multiple employers, and a central administering authority","Industry-specific definitions needed to determine who qualifies as a 'construction industry' worker","Levy calculation and payment obligations create compliance complexity for employers","Interaction with other employment laws (Fair Work Act, general long service leave legislation) must be navigated","Limited legislative text was provided for analysis, meaning the full scope of compliance obligations, definitions, and penalty provisions could not be fully assessed"],"plain_english_summary":"## Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997\n\n**What this law does:**\nThis Victorian Act establishes a system for long service leave (paid time off after years of continuous service) specifically for workers in the construction industry.\n\n**Why construction workers need a special system:**\nUnlike most workers who stay with one employer for years, construction workers typically move between many different employers and project sites throughout their careers. Without this special scheme, most construction workers would never qualify for long service leave because they rarely stay with a single employer long enough to earn it under normal rules.\n\n**How it works:**\nThe Act creates a portable entitlements scheme — meaning your leave entitlements 'travel with you' from job to job across the industry, rather than being tied to one employer. Workers accumulate leave credits based on their total time working in the construction industry, regardless of how many different employers they've had.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Workers**: Construction tradespeople, labourers, and other eligible workers in Victoria who can access leave after accumulating sufficient industry service\n- **Employers**: Construction companies and contractors who must register, keep records, and make regular levy payments (contributions) into the scheme fund\n- **The Construction Industry Long Service Leave Fund**: Administers payments and entitlements\n\n**Why it matters to you:**\n- If you work in Victorian construction, you may be entitled to paid long service leave even if you've worked for many different bosses\n- If you employ construction workers in Victoria, you have legal obligations to contribute to the scheme and comply with record-keeping requirements\n- Non-compliance can result in penalties"},"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"source":"grok-batch-everything"},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The 1997 Act's original intent (per s.1) was to repeal the statutory board model of the 1983 Act and transfer administration to a private corporate trustee operating under a trust deed. This version has expanded significantly beyond that through the 2004 amendments (e.g. ss.4(1A), 8, 14A) which brought working sub-contractors fully inside the charge, registration, and entitlement regime, and the 2021 addition of s.17A enabling data sharing with the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority. These changes broadened the scheme from a narrow construction-worker focus to a more inclusive portability model that interacts with wider long service leave frameworks."},"complexity_factors":["Heavy dependence on an external trust deed (and its Schedule 2 rules) for core operational details such as charge amounts, calculation methods, entitlements, and election processes","Multiple overlapping definitions in s.3 that cross-reference the Corporations Act, the trust deed, and the repealed 1983 Act","Nested provisions for working sub-contractors introduced by 2004 amendments, including elections, registers, charges, and transitional deeming in s.22","Detailed Part 4 machinery for property transfer, successor-in-law rules, allocation statements, and superannuation switches that contain numerous 'notwithstanding' and 'by force of this section' clauses","Interplay of offence, evidence, and procedural rules (ss.9–12, 15–17) with external statutes such as the Commercial Arbitration Act 2011, Penalty Interest Rates Act 1983, and Magistrates' Court Act 1989"],"plain_english_summary":"**This Victorian law creates a portable long service leave scheme for the construction industry.** Employers must pay a charge (capped at 3% of a worker's ordinary pay) into a dedicated fund for every worker doing construction work. The money is held and managed by a private trustee company (CoINVEST Limited) under a detailed trust deed. \n\nWorkers and certain self-employed 'working sub-contractors' who contribute build up credits for long service leave. After qualifying periods of continuous service in the industry, they can claim paid leave or equivalent benefits from the fund, even if they change employers frequently. \n\nThe Act requires employers and sub-contractors to register, keep detailed records for at least 7 years, and provide information to the trustee on request. It prohibits 'contracting out' of the scheme, sets penalties for non-compliance (mostly 20 penalty units), and includes rules for resolving disputes through arbitration. It also allows agreements with other states for recognising service across borders. \n\n**Who it affects**: Construction employers, workers, working sub-contractors, the trustee, and related companies. **Why it matters**: Construction jobs are often short-term and mobile, so this fund ensures workers don't lose out on long service entitlements that traditional employer-specific schemes would miss. It replaced an earlier government-run board with a trust-based model while protecting existing rights."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"At enactment the Act’s express purpose was to repeal the 1983 Act and continue the construction industry long service leave scheme under administration by a corporate trustee and trust deed rather than the former Board (s1, s20, ss25–26). Subsequent and incorporated amendments in the version provided broadened operational scope and powers in important respects: for example, the Act as amended includes working sub‑contractors who may elect coverage (s4(1A), s4(4)), permits recovery from related bodies corporate (s5(1A)), adds powers for the trustee to disclose information to the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority (s17A) and updates dispute and arbitration references (s12 as applied with the Commercial Arbitration Act). Those changes move several operational matters (who pays, who can be covered, recovery reach and information sharing) beyond the narrow administrative transfer contemplated in s1, so the practical scope of collection, enforcement and information exchange has expanded from the original administrative restructure set out in the Act’s purpose (see s1, s4, s5, s17A)."},"complexity_factors":["Heavy delegation to an external trust deed for operational detail (s3(1), s4(2), s4(4), s4(5))","Interaction of statutory caps (3% cap, s4(3)) with trustee rate‑setting powers (s4(2))","Multiple enforcement routes: debt recovery in court (s5), information notices (s10) and Magistrates' Court compliance orders (s11)","Interplay between administrative transfer of assets/liabilities and substitution in existing contracts and proceedings (ss25–29, 32–36)","Regulatory duties on employers (registers, record retention, returns) with fixed penalties referenced in the Act (s8, s9)","Cross‑references to and dependence on numerous external Acts (Corporations/Commercial Arbitration/Penalty Interest Rates/Evidence/Superannuation Acts)","Ministerial and Governor in Council discretions and directions (s7, s24, ss27–29, s39)","Optional coverage pathway for working sub‑contractors (elective mechanism, s4(4)) creating choice‑dependent coverage rules","Provisions for interstate reciprocal arrangements requiring ministerial notices and modifications (s18, s19)","Transitional staff superannuation and valuation procedures with procedural timelines (Part 4 Division 4 and ss31–33)"],"plain_english_summary":"What this law does (mechanically)\n\n- Repeals the Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1983 and continues the existing long service leave scheme for the construction industry, but moves administration from the former Board to a corporate trustee acting under a trust deed (see s1, s20, s25–26).  \n\n- Requires employers to pay a long service leave charge for each worker who performs construction work in the construction industry; the trustee (not the Act itself) sets when the charge is payable, the period covered, the calculation method and the amount (s4(1), s4(2)).  The Act caps an employer’s charge at 3% of a worker’s ordinary pay (s4(3)).  \n\n- Allows working sub‑contractors to elect to pay charges and thereby qualify for benefits; the trust deed must permit that election and revocation (s4(1A), s4(4)).  \n\n- Gives the trustee the right to recover unpaid charges (and interest) as a debt in court and, where provided, from related companies of the employer or sub‑contractor (s5, s5(1A)).  Interest is at the rate fixed under the Penalty Interest Rates Act (s5(2)).  \n\n- Confers entitlement to long service leave benefits from the fund for workers and for working sub‑contractors who have paid charges; the trustee determines the amount and calculation method in accordance with the trust deed (s6).  \n\n- Requires employers, workers and working sub‑contractors to be listed in registers kept under the trust deed and limits operation outside registration (s8).  \n\n- Imposes record‑keeping, reporting and information‑production obligations on employers; the trustee may issue written information requests and seek enforcement orders from the Magistrates’ Court (s9–11).  Failure to comply or to keep accurate records attracts penalties listed in the Act (see s8, s9, s10).  \n\n- Provides a system for resolving disputes by arbitration under the Commercial Arbitration Act (s12).  \n\n- Prohibits contract terms that try to exclude or modify the Act or the trust deed (s13).  \n\n- Preserves and transfers the former Board’s assets, liabilities and proceedings to the trustee or, where directed by the Minister, to the State; it sets out processes for allocation statements, substitution in contracts and treatment of land interests (Part 4, Division 2–5, especially ss25–29, 32–36).  \n\n- Makes transitional and administrative provisions for staff superannuation, annual reporting, reciprocity with corresponding interstate schemes and disclosure to the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority (see s21, s30, s18, s17A).\n\nOfficial stated purpose and how the Act intends to achieve it\n\n- The Act’s stated purpose is to repeal the 1983 Act and to continue the construction industry long service leave scheme administered under a trust deed by a company incorporated under the Corporations Law (s1).  The mechanism is to vest former Board property and liabilities in a trustee company, to operate a fund under the trust deed and to give that trustee powers to collect charges, maintain registers and pay benefits (s1, ss25–26, s4, s6).\n\nKey who‑pays, who‑decides and behavioural effects (concrete mechanics)\n\n- Who pays: employers must pay charges for each construction industry worker they employ (s4(1)). Working sub‑contractors pay only if they make the election required by the trust deed (s4(1A), s4(4)).  \n\n- Who decides the rate and method: the trustee, operating under the trust deed, determines timing, calculation and amounts (s4(2)). The Act imposes a firm cap on employer charges of 3% of ordinary pay (s4(3)). The trust deed may set different rates for classes of work and for workers vs working sub‑contractors (s4(5)).  \n\n- Enforcement and recovery: the trustee can sue to recover unpaid charges as a debt (s5), claim interest (s5(2)), require production of documents and information (s10) and apply to the Magistrates’ Court for compliance orders (s11). The trustee may also recover from related bodies corporate (s5(1A)).  \n\n- Administrative duties on employers: registers (s8) and seven‑year retention of records plus periodic returns to the trustee (s9). False or misleading records and failure to obey information notices attract penalties (s9(2), s10(3)).  \n\n- Dispute resolution: unresolved disputes are referred to arbitration under the Commercial Arbitration Act before an arbitrator appointed by the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (s12).  \n\nFormal constraints and discretion points\n\n- The trustee’s discretion to expand the class of persons who can receive benefits is constrained: it must obtain Governor in Council approval before exercising trust‑deed powers that would enlarge that class, and specific provisions identify changes to definitions of “construction work” or “construction industry” as caught by that constraint (s7(1)–(2)).  \n\n- The trust deed is central: many operational details (rates, registers, elections, classes of work) are determined by the trustee under the trust deed, not directly by the Act (s3(1) definition of trust deed; s4(2), s4(4), s4(5)).  \n\nCosts, incentives, trade‑offs and implementation risks (source‑grounded)\n\n- Direct cost to employers: employers bear the statutory charge (s4(1)), subject to the 3% cap (s4(3)). That is a recurring labour‑related cost the trustee can set within the cap (s4(2)).  \n\n- Choice and partial opt‑in for contractors: working sub‑contractors can elect in or revoke that election under the trust deed (s4(4)); electing brings entitlement to benefits (s6(2)) but also the obligation to pay charges — a private choice affecting pay and coverage.  \n\n- Pricing and class‑based incentives: the trust deed may specify different charge rates for different classes of work or for workers vs working sub‑contractors (s4(5)). Those differential rates create direct incentives for firms and individuals to structure engagement in ways that change which rate applies.  \n\n- Administrative and compliance burden: employers must register (s8), maintain records for at least seven years and provide returns to the trustee (s9). The trustee may request documents and information (s10); non‑compliance exposes employers to penalties and court enforcement (s8, s9(1)(c), s10(3), s11).  \n\n- Recovery mechanisms and corporate groups: the trustee can recover charges as a debt and may recover from related bodies corporate, which affects corporate group risk allocation (s5, s5(1A)).  \n\n- Concentration of decision authority: the trustee and the trust deed hold much operational power (s3(1), s4(2)); expansion of recipient classes requires executive approval (s7). Those arrangements concentrate certain choices in a corporate trustee subject to Ministerial/Governor in Council checks for class‑expansion.  \n\n- Transfer and continuity risks: Part 4 transfers property, liabilities and proceedings from the former Board to the trustee or State and preserves contract and land rights by substitution (ss25–29, 32–36). Those provisions are designed to avoid disrupting service delivery and accounts but require accurate allocation statements where the Minister directs property to the State (ss27–29).  \n\nPotential practical consequences the Act enables (mechanisms, not evaluations)\n\n- The trustee’s ability to vary rates and apply different rates to different classes (s4(2), s4(5)) can change labour cost profiles for particular activities.  \n\n- Working sub‑contractors’ election right (s4(4)) creates an opt‑in mechanism that changes who is recorded as eligible for fund benefits (s6), and the trust deed governs revocation and details.  \n\n- Registers and enforcement provisions (s8–11) create administrative checkpoints that employers and contractors must use to stay compliant.  \n\n- The Act creates formal channels for interstate reciprocity and payment adjustments where a corresponding law has applied (s18, s19).  \n\nPrimary implementation dependencies and sources of uncertainty\n\n- Heavy reliance on the content of the trust deed (defined in s3(1) and repeatedly invoked across the Act) for operational rules — e.g., rate setting, registration detail, timing for returns and election mechanics (s4(2), s4(4), s8, s9).  \n\n- Where the trustee wishes to enlarge who may be paid benefits, the requirement for Governor in Council approval (s7) creates a political/administrative gate on material scope changes.  \n\nSource citations (examples)  \n- Purpose and administrative transition: s1, ss25–26.  \n- Employer charge, cap and trustee’s rate‑setting role: s4(1)–(3), (2).  \n- Working sub‑contractor election: s4(1A), s4(4).  \n- Recovery and interest: s5, s5(1A), s5(2).  \n- Registers and penalties: s8; records and returns: s9.  \n- Information powers and enforcement: s10–11.  \n- Trustee’s limitation on enlarging beneficiary class: s7.  \n- Dispute arbitration requirement: s12.  \n- Property transfer and substitution for the former Board: ss25–29, 32–36.  \n\nWhy it matters (neutral mechanics)  \n- It preserves the long service leave scheme for the construction industry while shifting operational control into a trustee company governed by a trust deed (s1, s25–26).  \n- It creates statutory collection, record‑keeping and enforcement powers that impose recurring cost and administration on employers and offer entitlements to workers and electing working sub‑contractors (s4–6, s8–11).  \n- Much of the scheme’s detailed operation is delegated to the trustee and the trust deed, so compliance obligations and financial impacts depend substantially on trustee decisions within the Act’s constraints (s3(1), s4(2), s7)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997","history":"/api/acts/construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997/history","analysis":"/api/acts/construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/construction-industry-long-service-leave-act-1997/documents"}}