ABSTRACT
This is a federal body, established under the Industrial Relations Act 1988 (Cth), as amended by the Industrial Relations Reform Act 1993 (Cth) and the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth), to arbitrate in industrial matters which extend beyond State and Territory boundaries. This is in accordance with the restrictive power granted to the Federal Parliament under s 51(xxxv) of the Australian Constitution, which states that Parliament can make laws ‘with respect to ... industrial disputes extending beyond the limits of any one State’.
