Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00150:section:157
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00150
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 157
Character Range: 470506–472738

157  FWC may vary etc. modern awards if necessary to achieve modern awards objective
 (1) The FWC may:
 (a) make a determination varying a modern award, otherwise than to vary modern award minimum wages or to vary a default fund term of the award; or
 (b) make a modern award; or
 (c) make a determination revoking a modern award;
if the FWC is satisfied that making the determination or modern award is necessary to achieve the modern awards objective.
Note 1: Generally, the FWC must be constituted by a Full Bench to make, vary or revoke a modern award. However, the President may direct a single FWC Member to make a variation (see section 616).
Note 2: Special criteria apply to changing coverage of modern awards or revoking modern awards (see sections 163 and 164).
Note 3: If the FWC is setting modern award minimum wages, the minimum wages objective also applies (see section 284).
Note 4: If the FWC is making, varying or revoking a modern award that the President considers might relate to the road transport industry, it must take into account the road transport objective (see section 40D).
 (2) The FWC may make a determination varying modern award minimum wages if the FWC is satisfied that:
 (a) the variation of modern award minimum wages is justified by work value reasons; and
 (b) making the determination outside the system of annual wage reviews is necessary to achieve the modern awards objective.
Note: As the FWC is varying modern award minimum wages, the minimum wages objective also applies (see section 284).
 (2A) Work value reasons are reasons justifying the amount that employees should be paid for doing a particular kind of work, being reasons related to any of the following:
 (a) the nature of the work;
 (b) the level of skill or responsibility involved in doing the work;
 (c) the conditions under which the work is done.
 (2B) The FWC's consideration of work value reasons must:
 (a) be free of assumptions based on gender; and
 (b) include consideration of whether historically the work has been undervalued because of assumptions based on gender.
 (3) The FWC may make a determination or modern award under this section:
 (a) on its own initiative; or
 (b) on application under section 158.