All local governments workers in WA will be covered by state employment laws from 2023.

The announcement by industrial relations minister Bill Johnston on Tuesday means that WA now joins Queensland, South Australia and NSW in regulating local governments under state-based laws.

Most local governments in WA currently operate under Commonwealth employment laws, but it is anticipated that 137 local governments, eight regional local goverments and around 23,000 employees will be covered by the state system.

Mr Johnston said the move, first flagged in a 2018 independent review of the state’s industrial relations system, would remove legal uncertainty about the employment arrangements of local government.

“I’m pleased to announce that WA local governments will be covered by State employment laws from 1 January, 2023,” he said in a statement.

 “The local government sector is a sizeable workforce in the state and should properly be regulated by WA laws, not laws made over east.

The government passed legislation in 2021 enabling WA local governments to move to the state industrial relations system with the Commonwealth’s endorsement.

This created a strong transitional process paralleling what occurred when Queensland moved their local governments into the state industrial system, Mr Johnston said.

“The McGowan Government’s modernised State employment laws that came into effect in June 2022 strengthen protections for workers and ensure a strong industrial umpire in the form of the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission,” he said.

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