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Commonwealth act
This law updates the rules governing Australia's waterfront (stevedoring) industry — the people who load and unload ships at Australian ports. It amends an earlier 1956 law and adds new powers specifically targeting the Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia (the main union for dock workers at the time).
1. Who Can Become a Registered Dock Worker Before you can work on the docks, you must be officially "registered" by the Authority (the government body that runs things). This Act makes it explicit that having a criminal conviction — for any offence, not just stevedoring-related ones — can lawfully disqualify someone from registration. Applications no longer need to go through the union; instead, both the union and employers get 7 days to comment before someone is registered.
2. Fairer Hearings Before Losing Your Job If the Authority wants to cancel or suspend a worker's registration (effectively banning them from the industry), it must now give the worker a proper chance to have their say — in writing or in person. This is a basic fairness protection (called "natural justice" in legal terms). For large-scale disputes involving many workers at once, the Authority can hold a single inquiry but must still ensure workers' interests are fairly represented.
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Direct links to the current provisions in Stevedoring Industry Act 1965.
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View on official registerSourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
3. Right of Appeal Workers can appeal to the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (a federal tribunal — like a court for workplace disputes) if their registration is cancelled or suspended for more than 7 days, or if their right to "attendance money" (pay for showing up and being available for work) is cut off for more than 7 days.
4. Tougher Penalties for Employers Fines for employers who break the rules have been significantly increased (more than doubled in most cases). Employers are also now explicitly required to ensure work is properly supervised at all times.
5. Nuclear Option: Deregistering the Entire Union This is the most significant and politically charged part of the Act. It creates a step-by-step process by which the entire Waterside Workers' Federation could be stripped of its legal status ("deregistered") — effectively shutting it down:
This Act was passed during a period of significant industrial conflict on Australian waterfronts. It reflects the government's desire to maintain control over a strategically important industry while also introducing some worker protections (fair hearings, appeal rights). The deregistration provisions were an extraordinary tool — a threat designed to discipline the union movement in the maritime sector. The Act sits at the intersection of labour law, trade regulation, and constitutional power over interstate commerce.