The Victorian Government has introduced legislation aimed at preventing organisations described as fake unions from operating under community association laws and stopping hate groups from incorporating as community organisations.
The Associations Incorporation Reform Amendment Bill 2026 was introduced to Parliament by the Carroll Labor Government and proposes changes to the way incorporated associations are regulated in Victoria.
A central part of the bill targets organisations that present themselves as unions but are registered as incorporated associations rather than under industrial relations legislation. The government argues that some workers join these organisations believing they will receive industrial representation and legal protections that the organisations are not able to provide.
Under the proposed laws, organisations that describe themselves as unions but do not meet the legal requirements of a union would be prevented from registering as an incorporated association. Consumer Affairs Victoria would also receive powers to wind up organisations that fall within the scope of the new provisions.
The bill also proposes restrictions on hate groups seeking incorporated association status. The government says incorporated status can provide organisational and financial advantages, and the changes are intended to prevent extremist groups from obtaining those benefits while presenting themselves as legitimate community organisations.
The legislation forms part of the government’s broader response to antisemitism and extremist activity in Victoria.
Legal and industrial relations observers are expected to examine how the proposed definitions will operate in practice, particularly in determining which organisations are affected by the new restrictions and how the powers granted to Consumer Affairs Victoria will be applied.
Consumer Affairs Minister Tim Richardson said workers should be able to trust that an organisation calling itself a union is capable of providing genuine representation.
“If you’re calling yourself a union, you should have to act like one,” he said.
“Workers deserve a union that actually fights for them, not one that takes their money and leaves them exposed.”
Richardson said the bill was intended to prevent hate groups from presenting themselves as ordinary community organisations.
“Hate groups don’t get to dress themselves up as legitimate community organisation, and this is one of the many actions we’ve taken to stamp out hate in Victoria,” he said.
The bill will now be considered by the Victorian Parliament, where it will be subject to debate and scrutiny before any changes become law.
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You have your facts wrong. This bill is massively backed by the SDA is intended to remove their competition.
There are other unions in the retail space out there, mainly RAFFWU, who are forced to register as a incorporated association because the government only allows one registered union per workforce, and other unions would have to prove in a court that SDA is not helping members, in which the SDA purposefully does the bare minimum to meet this standard.
This isn’t a bill to fight violence, or antisemitism. This is a bill for SDA to squash their competition, for them to squash a union actually fighting for workers.