INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT ACT 2021 (NO. 30 OF 2021) - SECT 52

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT ACT 2021 (NO. 30 OF 2021) - SECT 52

52 .         Sections 83EA and 83EB inserted

                After section 83E insert:

83EA.         Serious contravention of entitlement provision or civil penalty provision

        (1)         In this section —

        contravention means a contravention of or failure to comply with —

            (a)         a civil penalty provision; or

            (b)         an entitlement provision.

        (2)         A contravention by a person is a serious contravention if —

            (a)         the person knowingly commits the contravention; and

            (b)         the person’s conduct constituting the contravention is part of a systematic pattern of conduct relating to 1 or more other persons.

        (3)         For the purposes of subsection (2), a body corporate knowingly commits a contravention if the body corporate expressly, tacitly or impliedly authorises the contravention.

        (4)         In determining whether the person’s conduct constituting the contravention was part of a systematic pattern of conduct, the industrial magistrate’s court may have regard to all or any of the following —

            (a)         the number of contraventions (the relevant contraventions ) committed by the person;

            (b)         the period over which the relevant contraventions were committed;

            (c)         the number of other persons affected by the relevant contraventions;

            (d)         the person’s response, or failure to respond, to any complaints made about the relevant contraventions;

            (e)         unless the provision contravened is a record-related civil penalty provision — whether the person also failed to comply with a record-related civil penalty provision relating to the conduct constituting the relevant contraventions.

        (5)         Subsection (4) does not limit the matters to which the industrial magistrate’s court may have regard.

        (6)         A person (the involved person ) who is involved in a contravention by another person (the principal ) commits a serious contravention only if —

            (a)         the principal’s contravention is a serious contravention; and

            (b)         the involved person knows that the principal’s contravention is a serious contravention.

        (7)         Subsection (8) applies in proceedings for an order in relation to a serious contravention.

        (8)         The industrial magistrate’s court may, instead of imposing a pecuniary penalty on a person for the serious contravention, impose a pecuniary penalty on the person for the contravention if the court —

            (a)         is not satisfied that the person has committed a serious contravention; but

            (b)         is satisfied that the person has committed a contravention.

83EB.         Employer to have burden of disproving certain allegations by applicant under s. 83

        (1)         In proceedings under section 83, the employer has the burden of disproving an allegation by an applicant in relation to a matter if the employer —

            (a)         was required under this Act or the LSL Act to —

                  (i)         make or keep a record in relation to the matter; or

                  (ii)         give a pay slip in relation to the matter; or

                  (iii)         make available for inspection a record in relation to the matter;

                and

            (b)         failed to comply with the requirement.

        (2)         Subsection (1) does not apply if the employer provides a reasonable excuse for the failure to comply with the requirement.