Chair and Chief Executive Officer / Registrar’s Report
It is with great pleasure that we present the first Annual Report of the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority (the Authority). The Authority was established on 1 November 2018 under the Long Service Benefits Portability Act 2018 (Vic) (the Act). With strong support from the Minister for Industrial Relations and the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Industrial Relations Victoria Group, the Authority’s Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme commenced on 1 July 2019.
The Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme (the Scheme) allows eligible workers in the community service, contract cleaning and security industries to accumulate long service benefits after working in their industry for seven years, irrespective of the number of employers that they have worked for over that time. This makes it fairer for some of our hardest working Victorians – Victorians who may have worked many years in the same job, in the same place but without being able to accrue any long service benefits.
We have been delighted with the progress of the Authority over the short period of time since establishment, as well as the successful commencement of Scheme operations from 1 July 2019. The Governing Board and staff have worked hard to ensure that the Authority is ready to fulfil its vision of delivering a quality Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme, one that balances the interests of all the different stakeholders of the Authority. The Governing Board, who were appointed in March 2019, held the first Governing Board Meeting in April 2019. Since then, the Governing Board has met regularly to oversee management’s establishment of the operations of the Authority. The Authority’s management team, together with its staff, has worked hard to establish the Authority’s core operations in Bendigo, one of Victoria’s important regional centres.
Amidst the intense establishment activity to ensure that Scheme operations commenced smoothly on 1 July 2019, staff and the Governing Board also took the time out to consider goals for the next 12 months. Through this process, the Authority has developed key objectives that are aligned to activities, outcomes and performance targets that will enable us to measure success as well as establish accountabilities. These are outlined in our Corporate Plan for 2019–20.
Under the Scheme, employers and workers are able to register with the Authority through an online registration system and the Authority is rolling out communications to stakeholders right across Victoria. The Authority continues to build, strengthen and further develop relationships with stakeholders who are affected by, or have an interest in, the Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme.
We would like to acknowledge the work done by Industrial Relations Victoria (IRV) in the Department of Premier and Cabinet not just in leading the drafting of the legislation, but also in initial project management to establish the foundational aspects of the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority. We look forward to building on this success to establish full operations in 2019–20 and achieving our vision of delivering a quality portable long service scheme to protect the benefits of those who are entitled to them.
Julius Roe
Chair, Governing Board
Joseph Yeung
CEO and Registrar
Updated