Hepburn Shire MEA Rope-In Application

23 July 2026

The ASU has formally written to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) several times seeking an update on our application for Hepburn Shire to rope-in to the Regional LG MEA.

We received a response in May that FWC have pre-approved Hepburn Shire to rope in to the MEA, and that the formal approval would follow a week later, however we are still waiting for a signature from the Commissioner to formally approve the application.

The ASU has no control over a Commissioner’s timing to approve an application, whether that is for a single agreement or to join a Multi agreement.

We have been working together with Hepburn to sort any impending issues with the implementation of the Multi and will continue to work collaboratively with Council. We do not foresee any major problems in this area.

The ASU & Hepburn Shire are remaining positive and understand that FWC does not see any issues with our application. As soon as we receive formal confirmation of the approval of the Hepburn application, the ASU will lodge similar applications for Pyrenees, Moira, and Buloke shires who have also voted to rope-in to the MEA.

Once this happens, the MEA will come into effect for you, and while this has been a longer delay at FWC than we expected, the MEA contains strong protections around backpay to ensure you won’t be any worse off as a result.

Had we opted to remain in a single EBA, we would have faced similar delays at FWC, not to mention the time it would have taken for negotiations and votes to conclude. Given this is the first application of its kind, it’s going remarkably smoothly (if a little slower than we’d like)!

If you have any other queries please contact: Your delegates or
ASU Organiser Melissa Wainwright | 0461 4200 021