Commonwealth Industrial Court
30 June 1956 – 1973
Renamed Australian Industrial Court in 1973.
Federal superior court that exercised the judicial powers removed from the Arbitration Court: interpreting and enforcing awards, imposing penalties for breaches, and deciding disputes over the rules and elections of registered organisations.
Names over time
- Commonwealth Industrial Court1956–1973
- Australian Industrial Court1973–1977
How it came into existence
Created by the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1956, which commenced on 30 June 1956, to exercise the judicial powers of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, which the High Court had held in the Boilermakers' case could not be combined with arbitral functions.
- Judicial powers: award interpretation and enforcement
- Jurisdiction over the rules of registered organisations
Legislation: Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 (as amended by the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1956)
How it ended
Renamed the Australian Industrial Court by the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1973.
Main functions
- Interpretation of awards
- Enforcement of awards and penalties for breaches
- Disputes over the rules of registered organisations
- Inquiries into disputed union elections
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Department of Labour.
Lineage
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