Central Goldfields Shire Council will lodge an appeal in the Federal Court of Australia against a Fair Work Commission decision on 27 November 2024.
The decision of the Commission means that employees of both Central Goldfields Shire Council and Ararat Rural City Council must enter a multi-employer bargaining process for their new agreement, a more complex process which may take longer than a local, enterprise bargaining agreement.
Council met with several unions and Ararat Rural City Council on 19 December 2024 to begin negotiations in good faith. Additional meetings will take place later in January to continue this process.
However, over the same period Council has sought to clarify the broader implications of the Fair Work decision, and its implications for other regional Victorian councils, in collaboration with the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).
Central Goldfields Shire Council Interim CEO Sally Jones said she has always made the Council’s position clear to the Australian Services Union.
“Our own community and our employees must come first. Council has a responsibility to maintain the financial sustainability of its operations, and with spiralling costs against years of rate capping by the Victorian Government, we must pursue the best outcome for our own Shire.”
“Bundling different regional councils together fails to account for the different challenges they face, from widely different geographical sizes and completely different populations and industries to the vastly different distances from regional and capital cities.”
“We have no other option but to appeal Fair Work’s decision, while at the same time keeping negotiations moving forward. We believe this is in the best interest of all involved.”
Central Goldfields Shire Council will provide updates as the legal process continues.