The Workplace Relations Act 1996 was an Australian labour law passed by the Howard Government after it came into power in 1996. It replaced the previous Labor Government's Industrial Relations Act 1988, starting operation on 1 January 1997. The Act was substantially amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, that came into effect on 27 March 2006, which brought in the WorkChoices changes to Australia's labour law. The Act was repealed by the Fair Work Act 2009 passed by the Rudd Labor Government.