Fair Work Commission

Our commitment

The Fair Work Commission is committed to providing outstanding service to our clients. Complaints and feedback about administrative matters can help drive service improvement. All complaints are taken seriously.

Complaints about staff & administrative processes

Any Commission staff member can accept your complaint or feedback in person or over the telephone. If you make a complaint which cannot be resolved by the person you first speak to, if it is inappropriate for that person to respond, or if you require a written response to your complaint, you will be asked to make your complaint in writing.

Written complaints and feedback about Commission staff or administrative processes can be sent by:

• fax to 03 9655 0401
• email to complaints@fwc.gov.au
• post to The Director, Client Experience, Fair Work Commission, GPO Box 1994, Melbourne, VIC, 3001

Complaints about Commission staff or administrative services are addressed by the relevant Director, or other staff where appropriate.

How long will it take to resolve a complaint?

If your complaint is made in person or over the telephone we will try to resolve it immediately, but in some cases more time may be needed to respond to a complaint.

If your complaint is made in writing we will respond within 20 working days. If your complaint is complex it may take longer to resolve. We will endeavour to keep you informed of our progress when dealing with your complaint.

If you are still not satisfied

If you are still not satisfied after we have investigated your complaint, you can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman. For more information call the Commonwealth Ombudsman's office on 1300 362 072 or visit the Commonwealth Ombudsman's website.

Complaints about Members

Complaints and feedback about Member conduct are addressed by the President of the Commission and should be made in writing.

If you do not agree with the result of a decision made by a Member of the Commission in your case, you may seek to appeal that decision. There are time limits for appeals and parties need to act promptly.

Information about appealing a decision is available in a separate guide, as well as in the Commission’s Appeal proceedings practice note. Commission staff can give you information about the procedure for lodging an appeal. They cannot, however, advise you on whether or not you should appeal a decision. You may wish to seek legal advice when considering whether or not to appeal a decision made by a Member of the Commission.

Written complaints and feedback about Commission Members can be sent by:

• fax to 03 9655 0401
• email to chambers.ross.j@fwc.gov.au
• post to The Honourable Justice Iain Ross, President, Fair Work Commission, GPO Box 1994, Melbourne, VIC, 3001

Complaints about Members will be dealt with as expeditiously as proper consideration of the matter permits.

Vexatious complaints

The Commission may not respond to a complaint that is vexatious, repetitive or lacks substance.

Allegations of misconduct, including corruption, without supporting evidence may be treated as lacking substance.

Abusive or threatening correspondence or conduct may be referred to the appropriate authority.

Complaints about lawyers or paid agents

We sometimes receive complaints from people about lawyers or paid agents who represented them in cases at the Commission. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has a Public Warning Notice on its website about the alleged conduct of Dismissals Direct Pty Ltd ACN 616 466 865 (trading as Unfair Dismissals Direct).

The Commission does not provide legal advice, and we cannot take action against lawyers or paid agents on your behalf if you are unhappy with their services.

If you wish to make a complaint about a lawyer or paid agent, please refer to our Complaints about lawyers & paid agents page for more information.

Complaints for other bodies

If you have a workplace complaint that is not directly related to the Commission you may need to contact another body. The Fair Work Ombudsman, for example, can help with issues involving the non-payment of wages and other work entitlements.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is a separate body from the Commission, and you can go to their website for information about How they will help.