Portfolio — 10 April 2026

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Ms Rishworth, on 10 April 2026 activated a ministerial power under the Fairer Fuel amendments to the Fair Work Act, making a formal determination that allows the Fair Work Commission to fast-track its consideration of a road transport contractual chain order application [TA-260410-dewr-95df2f634d23]. The application was lodged jointly by the Transport Workers' Union and the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation, and seeks contractual chain standards to address cost pressures flowing from fuel price increases driven by the Middle East conflict [TA-260410-dewr-95df2f634d23].

The Minister's determination rests on two findings: that the conflict is producing a significant national negative impact on the road transport industry, and that expediting the Commission's consideration serves the public interest. Those findings were informed by stakeholder consultation and departmental analysis, with the road transport objective in the Fair Work Act providing the statutory frame.

The Fairer Fuel amendments confer the expedite power only when prescribed legislative criteria are satisfied, so the determination is a formal legal step, not merely a political signal. By invoking it, the Minister has removed the standard Commission timetable from the process and placed the application on an accelerated track. The practical effect is that owner-drivers and subcontractors in the road freight supply chain could obtain binding contractual protections sooner than the ordinary Commission process would allow.

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