Western Australian Consolidated Acts

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT 1979 - SECT 84A

84A .         Proceedings before Full Bench for enforcement of this Act

        (1)         Subject to this section, if a person contravenes or fails to comply with — 

            (a)         any provision of this Act (other than section 42B(1), 44(3), 51S or 74) or an order or direction made or given under section 66 — 

                  (i)         the Minister;

                  (ii)         the Registrar or a deputy registrar;

                  (iii)         an industrial inspector; or

                  (iv)         any organisation, association or employer with a sufficient interest in the matter;

                or

            (b)         section 44(3) or a direction, order or declaration given or made under section 32 or 44, the Registrar or a deputy registrar at the direction of the Commission,

                may make application in the prescribed manner to the Full Bench for the enforcement of that provision, order, direction, declaration or section.

        [(2)         deleted]

        (3)         Subsection (1) does not apply to a contravention of or a failure to comply with —

            (a)         a civil penalty provision; or

            (b)         a provision of this Act if the contravention or failure constitutes an offence against this Act.

        (4)         In dealing with an application under subsection (1) the Full Bench — 

            (a)         shall have regard to the seriousness of the contravention or failure to comply, any undertakings that may be given as to future conduct, and any mitigating circumstances; and

            (b)         before proceeding to a hearing of the application, shall invite the parties to the application to confer with it, unless in the opinion of the Full Bench such a conference would be unavailing, with a view to an amicable resolution of the matter to which the application relates.

        (5)         On the hearing of an application under subsection (1) the Full Bench may — 

            (a)         if the contravention or failure to comply is proved — 

                  (i)         accept any undertaking given; or

                  (ii)         by order, issue a caution or impose such penalty as it considers just but not exceeding $2 000 in the case of an employer, organisation, or association and $500 in any other case; or

                  (iii)         direct the Registrar or a deputy registrar to issue a summons under section 73(1);

                or

            (b)         by order, dismiss the application,

                and subject to subsection (6), in any case with or without costs, but in no case shall any costs be given against the Minister, the Registrar, a deputy registrar, or an industrial inspector.

        (6)         In proceedings under this section costs shall not be given to any party to the proceedings for the services of any legal practitioner or agent of that party unless, in the opinion of the Full Bench, the proceedings have been frivolously or vexatiously instituted or defended, as the case requires, by the other party.

        (7)         Where the Full Bench, by an order made under this section, imposes a penalty or costs it shall state in the order the name of the person liable to pay the penalty or costs and the name of the person to whom the penalty or costs are payable.

        (8)         The standard of proof to be applied by the Full Bench in proceedings under this section shall be the standard observed in civil proceedings.

        [Section 84A inserted by No. 94 of 1984 s. 52; amended by No. 119 of 1987 s. 21; No. 79 of 1995 s. 8(2); No. 20 of 2002 s. 134 and 158; No. 36 of 2006 s. 26.]

[Part IIIA (s. 84B-84O) deleted by No. 20 of 2002 s. 193(1).]