The Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 1 April 2026. Changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 commence today.
Fair Work Commission President Justice Hatcher has today issued a statement outlining the changes and our approach to how they will be implemented.
The Fairer Fuel Act allows us to deal with certain applications for a road transport contractual chain order more quickly if the Minister determines that it’s an ‘emergency application’.
Our website has been updated with relevant information. Questions about the procedure to apply can be emailed to rws@fwc.gov.au.
New major case and upcoming hearing – MS2026/1
Today, we received a related joint application from the Transport Workers' Union of Australia (TWU) and the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organization (ARTIO). The application is for a road transport contractual chain order that would cover a number of sectors of the road transport industry and contain terms dealing with fuel cost recovery.
An initial hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday 8 April 2026 at 10am (AEST), before an Expert Panel for the road transport industry. The Panel will consider whether to publish a notice of intent to make a contractual chain order. Parties may file any evidence or submissions in writing by 5pm (AEST) on Tuesday, 7 April 2026, but this is not a precondition for participation in the hearing. Submissions should be emailed to chambers.hatcher.j@fwc.gov.au.
A major case webpage has been published on our website to deal with the application (MS2026/1).
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