Skills Australia Amendment (Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency) Act 2012
 
No. 69, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
An Act to amend the Skills Australia Act 2008, and for related purposes
  
  
Contents
1............ Short title............................................................................................. 1
2............ Commencement................................................................................... 2
3............ Schedule(s)......................................................................................... 2
Schedule 1—Amendment of the Skills Australia Act 2008                           3
Part 1—Main amendments                                                                                         3
Part 2—Consequential amendments                                                                      5
Division 1—Changing the name of Skills Australia                                              5
Division 2—Further changes to the name of Skills Australia                              5
Division 3—Other consequential amendments                                                      6
Part 3—Transitional provisions                                                                                9
 

 
 
Skills Australia Amendment (Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency) Act 2012
No. 69, 2012
 
 
 
An Act to amend the Skills Australia Act 2008, and for related purposes
[Assented to 27 June 2012]
The Parliament of Australia enacts:
1  Short title
                   This Act may be cited as the Skills Australia Amendment (Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency) Act 2012.
2  Commencement
                   This Act commences on 1 July 2012.
3  Schedule(s)
                   Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.
 
Schedule 1—Amendment of the Skills Australia Act 2008
Part 1—Main amendments
1  Title
Omit “Skills Australia”, substitute “the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
2  Section 1
Omit “Skills Australia”, substitute “Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
Note:       This item amends the short title of the Act. If another amendment of the Act is described by reference to the Act’s previous short title, that other amendment has effect after the commencement of this item as an amendment of the Act under its amended short title (see section 10 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901).
3  Section 3
Insert:
Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency means the body continued in existence by section 5.
4  Section 4 (heading)
Repeal the heading, substitute:
4  Object
5  Section 4
After “development needs,”, insert “and the allocation of Commonwealth funding,”.
6  Section 5
Repeal the section, substitute:
5  Establishment
                   The body known immediately before the commencement of this section as Skills Australia is continued in existence as the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency.
Note 1:       See also section 25B of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.
Note 2:       For the commencement of this section, see section 2 of the Skills Australia Amendment (Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency) Act 2012.
7  At the end of subsection 6(1)
Add:
                   ; (c)  improving the productivity of the Australian workforce;
                     (d)  the allocation of Commonwealth funding (including through the National Workforce Development Fund) to address the matters mentioned in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c).
8  After paragraph 6(3)(b)
Insert:
                   (ba)  assessing research relating to improving the productivity of the Australian workforce;
                   (bb)  analysing the funding available to address the matters mentioned in paragraphs (1)(a), (b) and (c);
9  Paragraph 8(b)
Omit “6”, substitute “9”.
10  Subsection 9(2)
Repeal the subsection, substitute:
             (2)  In making appointments, the Minister must ensure that the members of the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency have, between them, experience in:
                     (a)  academia; and
                     (b)  the provision of education or training; and
                     (c)  economics; and
                     (d)  industry; and
                     (e)  the representation of employees.
Part 2—Consequential amendments
Division 1—Changing the name of Skills Australia
11  Multiple amendments
The specified provisions of the Skills Australia Act 2008 listed in this Division are amended by omitting “Skills Australia” (wherever occurring) and substituting “the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
12  Section 3 (definition of Chair)
13  Section 3 (definition of member)
14  Subsections 6(3), 7(1) and (3), 9(2) and 15(3)
15  Paragraph 15(5)(a)
16  Subsection 15(6)
17  Paragraph 18(2)(b)
18  Subsections 19(2) and 21(1)
19  Paragraph 21(2)(a)
20  Subsections 24(2) and (3) and 25(3)
21  Section 26
Division 2—Further changes to the name of Skills Australia
22  Multiple amendments
The specified provisions of the Skills Australia Act 2008 listed in this Division are amended by omitting “Skills Australia” (wherever occurring) and substituting “The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
23  Subsections 6(1) and (2) and 7(4)
24  Section 8
25  Subsections 19(1), 23(1) and (2), 24(4), 25(1), (2) and (6) and 27(1) and (2)
Division 3—Other consequential amendments
26  Section 3 (definition of Skills Australia)
Repeal the definition.
27  Part 2 (heading)
Repeal the heading, substitute:
Part 2—Establishment and functions of the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
28  Subsection 6(4)
Omit “Skills Australia” (first occurring), substitute “The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
29  Paragraph 6(4)(b)
Omit “Skills Australia”, substitute “the Agency”.
30  Section 7 (heading)
Repeal the heading, substitute:
7  Minister may give directions to the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
31  Part 3 (heading)
Repeal the heading, substitute:
Part 3—Constitution and membership of the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
32  Section 15 (heading)
Repeal the heading, substitute:
15  Disclosure of interests to the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
33  Subsection 15(1)
Omit “Skills Australia” (first occurring), substitute “the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
34  Subsection 15(1)
Omit “Skills Australia” (second occurring), substitute “the Agency”.
35  Subsection 15(4)
Omit “Skills Australia” (first occurring), substitute “the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
36  Paragraphs 15(4)(a) and (b)
Omit “Skills Australia”, substitute “the Agency”.
37  Part 4 (heading)
Repeal the heading, substitute:
Part 4—Meetings of the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
38  Subsection 24(1)
Omit “Skills Australia” (first occurring), substitute “The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency”.
39  Paragraph 24(1)(b)
Omit “Skills Australia”, substitute “the Agency”.
40  Section 26 (heading)
Repeal the heading, substitute:
26  Staff assisting the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
41  Subsection 27(1)
Omit “Skills Australia’s”, substitute “the Agency’s”.
Part 3—Transitional provisions
42  Termination of appointment of members
An appointment of a person as a member under section 9 of the Skills Australia Act 2008 that is in force immediately before the commencement of this item is, by force of this item, terminated on that commencement.
43  Committees cease to exist
A committee established under section 25 of the Skills Australia Act 2008 and in existence immediately before the commencement of this item ceases, by force of this item, to exist after that commencement.
 
 
 
[Minister’s second reading speech made in—
House of Representatives on 22 March 2012
Senate on 18 June 2012]
(15/12)