{"id":"F2007L02341","name":"Workplace Relations Act 1996 - Directions to Inspectors (04/07/2007)","slug":"workplace-relations-act-1996-directions-to-inspectors-04-07-2007","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":67659,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2007L02341-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Workplace Relations Act 1996 - Directions to Inspectors (04/07/2007)","content":"Workplace Relations Act 1996\n\nDIRECTIONS TO INSPECTORS\n\nI, NICHOLAS PAUL WILSON, Workplace Ombudsman, acting under subsection 167(7) of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 direct as follows:\n\nCommencement\n\n(1) These Directions are of general application and commence on the day they are registered on the Federal Registrar of Legislative Instruments kept under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.\n\nDefinitions\n\n(2) In these Directions:\n\nthe Act means the Workplace Relations Act 1996;\n\ncommencing litigation means lodging with a court or tribunal, including the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the document or documents necessary to institute proceedings, whether civil or criminal, where the proceedings are instituted in the exercise of powers and performance of functions under the Act or Regulations;\n\nOWO means the Office of the Workplace Ombudsman, a Statutory Agency established under s166P of the Act;\n\nthe Regulations mean the Workplace Relations Regulations 2006;\n\nSES officer has the meaning in section 34 of the Public Service Act 1999 and includes a person acting in the capacity of an SES officer;\n\nworkplace inspector has the meaning in subsection 4(1) of the Act;\n\nCommencing or Intervening in Litigation\n\n(3) Before commencing litigation or intervening in litigation relating to an alleged breach of the Act or the Regulations a workplace inspector must obtain my consent or the consent of an SES officer in the OWO approved by me to give consent.\n\n(4) In any case, a workplace inspector must not commence or intervene in litigation relating to an alleged breach of the Act or the Regulations where, in the opinion of an SES officer mentioned in clause 3, the litigation is in respect of a trivial or minor contravention of the Act or the Regulations.  \n\nDated this 4th day of July 2007\n\nNicholas Paul Wilson\n\nWORKPLACE OMBUDSMAN","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-batch","completionTokens":845},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This appears to be the original instrument dated 4 July 2007, establishing the initial framework for inspector litigation approvals. The scope aligns with the original intent to create procedural controls over enforcement actions."},"complexity_factors":["Short, single-purpose instrument (only 4 substantive clauses)","Minimal cross-referencing (only references to parent Act and standard definitions)","Simple conditional logic (consent required + prohibition on trivial matters)","Only 6 defined terms in interpretation section"],"plain_english_summary":"These Directions require workplace inspectors to get written consent from the Workplace Ombudsman (or an approved senior official) before starting or intervening in court or tribunal proceedings for alleged breaches of workplace law. A senior officer can also stop action if a breach is judged trivial or minor. It affects inspectors’ litigation powers and limits unnecessary enforcement against employers and employees."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/workplace-relations-act-1996-directions-to-inspectors-04-07-2007","history":"/api/acts/workplace-relations-act-1996-directions-to-inspectors-04-07-2007/history","analysis":"/api/acts/workplace-relations-act-1996-directions-to-inspectors-04-07-2007/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/workplace-relations-act-1996-directions-to-inspectors-04-07-2007/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/workplace-relations-act-1996-directions-to-inspectors-04-07-2007/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/workplace-relations-act-1996-directions-to-inspectors-04-07-2007/documents"}}