Fair Work Commission

Working better for small business

With small business accounting for more than 9 out of every 10 employers in Australia, the Fair Work Commission wants to make sure the voice of small business employers is heard loud and clear.

Mr Bruce Billson, small business advocate and former Commonwealth Minister for Small Business, is seeking ideas and feedback to advise the Commission on how it can best meet the needs of small business. Consultation meetings will be held across the country in the first half of 2017 to hear candid observations, practical insights and real-life experiences from small business employers.

A discussion paper provides background information to the types of issues and ideas that small business employers may have views about.

• Download the discussion paper: Working better for small business (PDF)

User-design workshops

Cube Group has been engaged to conduct client experience workshops in June 2017 with small business employers who have responded to Unfair dismissal applications. These workshops will examine what respondents have experienced, their preferences and expectations and their ideas for new or improved services. The workshops will canvass the range of respondent experiences from service of the application through to the conclusion of the matter.

How to get involved

The Commission's research team will be contacting employers who have respnded to an Unfair dismissal application and inviting them to attend a workshop in June 2017. Workshops will be held in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

Please contact consultation@fwc.gov.au for information about meeting times and venues and to register your interest in participating.

Confidentiality & privacy

If you register your interest using the email address provided on this page, the Commission will collect your personal information, specifically your name, email address and contact details, for the purpose of facilitating the small business consultations. The consequence of not providing some or all of your personal information is that the Commission may not be able to arrange for you to participate in the consultations.

The Commission will use and disclose your personal information to Commission staff and meeting hosts for the purposes of your participation in the consultations, including to co-ordinate meetings, circulate information to participants and meeting hosts, and obtain feedback from participants as required. Your personal information will not be used for any other purpose or disclosed to any other person or organisation by the Commission, unless such use or disclosure is with your consent or is otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

All comments and contributions made to the small business consultations will be used for research purposes only and will not be attributed to individual participants. The draft research report will be circulated to participants, the employer organisations who host the consultations and peak organisations, and the final report will be published on the Commission website. The report will only identify participants by industry/sector and potentially by location.

Please refer to the Commission’s Privacy policy for information on how to access or request an amendment to your personal information held by the Commission, and how to make a complaint about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles. The Commission’s privacy officer may be contacted by emailing foi@fwc.gov.au or by mail to: Privacy Officer, Fair Work Commission, GPO Box 1994, Melbourne 3001.

Complaints

For complaints about Commission Members and staff or about an experience you’ve had at the Commission please visit our Complaints & feedback page.