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  • Job loss or dismissal
    • Types of dismissal and termination
    • Unfair dismissal
      • About unfair dismissal
        • What is unfair dismissal?
        • Who the law protects from unfair dismissal
        • Check eligibility for unfair dismissal
      • The rules for small business owners
      • The process for unfair dismissal claims
      • Apply for unfair dismissal (Form F2)
        • Check you are ready to apply for unfair dismissal
      • Respond to an unfair dismissal claim
        • What to do when an employee claims unfair dismissal
        • Respond to a claim for unfair dismissal (Form F3)
          • Help with Form F3 – Employer response to unfair dismissal
        • Object to an unfair dismissal claim
          • Object to an application for unfair dismissal remedy (Form F4)
          • Jurisdiction hearings in unfair dismissal cases
      • Conciliation for unfair dismissal
        • What is conciliation?
        • Tips to prepare for conciliation
        • What happens in a conciliation meeting
        • Options at conciliation for unfair dismissal
        • The role of the independent conciliator
        • Ask to delay a conciliation
      • Withdraw your application for unfair dismissal
      • Possible results of unfair dismissal claims
        • Compensation for unfair dismissal
          • The formula to calculate compensation
        • Reinstatement after unfair dismissal
        • Outcomes or remedies at an unfair dismissal hearing
    • Dismissal under general protections
      • About general protections
        • Understand general protections
        • Who the general protections laws cover
          • The difference between contractors and employees
        • Check eligibility for general protections
        • What is adverse action?
        • Prohibited reasons in general protections
        • Other workplace protections
      • The process for general protections dismissal
      • Apply for general protections – dismissal (Form F8)
      • Responding to a general protections claim
        • Response to general protections application (Form F8A)
        • Object to a general protections dismissal claim
      • Conferences for general protections dismissal
        • Tips to prepare for a general protections conference
      • Possible outcomes of a general protections – dismissal case
      • Apply for arbitration of a general protections – dismissal case (Form F8B)
      • Take your general protections case to court
    • Unlawful termination
      • Apply for help with unlawful termination (Form F9)
      • Respond to an application for unlawful termination (Form F9A)
      • Agree to arbitration for unlawful termination (Form F9B)
    • Redundancy
    • Respond to a claim against a business
  • Issues we help with
    • Common issues in the workplace
      • Resolve a dispute in your workplace
      • Apply for help to promote cooperative workplaces and prevent disputes (Form F79)
    • Bullying
      • The process to resolve workplace bullying
      • What is bullying at work?
        • About reasonable management action
      • What to do if you’re bullied at work
        • How we help stop workplace bullying
        • Who can apply to stop bullying
          • Check eligibility for an order to stop bullying
        • Apply to stop workplace bullying (Form F72)
      • Respond to a bullying claim
        • Respond as an employer or principal in a bullying application (Form F73)
        • Respond as a person named in a bullying application (Form F74)
      • Conciliation for bullying at work
        • Prepare for a conciliation session
    • Sexual harassment
      • Sexual harassment that occurred or started before 6 March 2023
        • What is sexual harassment at work
        • Who can apply for orders to stop sexual harassment at work
        • Discrimination, the general protections and work health and safety
        • What to do if you’re sexually harassed at work
        • Apply to stop sexual harassment at work
        • Respond to an application about sexual harassment at work
        • The Commission’s process to resolve sexual harassment at work
        • Conciliation about sexual harassment at work
        • Conferences and hearings about sexual harassment at work
      • Sexual harassment commencing from 6 March 2023
        • The prohibition on workplace sexual harassment
        • What is sexual harassment in connection with work?
        • Who can apply to us to deal with a sexual harassment dispute
        • Sexual harassment and discrimination, the general protections and work health and safety
        • What to do if you’re sexually harassed in connection with work
        • The process for sexual harassment dispute claims
        • How to apply to us to deal with a sexual harassment dispute
        • Apply to resolve a sexual harassment dispute (Form F75)
        • How to respond to a sexual harassment dispute application
        • Respond as an individual to an application to deal with a sexual harassment dispute (Form F76)
        • Respond as an employer or principal to an application to deal with a sexual harassment dispute (Form F77)
        • Member conferences and determinative hearings is sexual harassment disputes
          • Member conferences in sexual harassment disputes
          • Determinative conferences and hearings in sexual harassment disputes
          • Keeping the sexual harassment dispute case confidential
        • Sexual harassment disputes that are not resolved
    • Discrimination
    • Help for small business owners
      • What we are doing to help small business
    • Casual to permanent status
      • Apply to resolve a dispute about casual conversion (Form F10A)
    • Dispute about an award or agreement
      • Apply to resolve a dispute about an award or agreement (Form F10)
    • Disputes about general protections
      • Process for general protection disputes
      • Apply for general protections – no dismissal (Form F8C)
      • Responding to a general protections claim not involving dismissal
    • Industrial action
      • Organise a protected action ballot
        • Apply to hold a protected action ballot (Form F34)
        • Apply to extend the 30-day period for protected action (Form F34A)
      • Types of industrial action
      • Payments during industrial action
      • Ballot results
      • Apply to resolve a stand down dispute (Form F13)
      • Apply to stop unprotected industrial action (Form F14)
    • Cooperative Workplaces program
      • Interest-based approaches
      • Interest-based bargaining
      • Interest-based consultation
      • Interest-based problem-solving
    • Jobkeeper disputes
      • Apply to resolve a jobkeeper dispute (Form F13A)
  • Agreements & awards
    • Enterprise agreements
      • Find an enterprise agreement
        • Agreements in progress
      • About enterprise agreements
        • About single and multi-enterprise agreements
        • About greenfields agreements
        • Historical agreements and instruments
        • Statistical reports on enterprise agreements data
      • Make an enterprise agreement
        • The process to make an agreement
        • Before you start bargaining
          • Timeframes to make an agreement
          • Date calculator for single enterprise agreement
          • Plan to communicate your agreement
          • Bargaining representatives
            • Who can be a bargaining representative?
            • The role of representatives
            • Cancel a bargaining representative
          • Apply for a majority support determination (Form F30)
          • Request to bargain for a replacement agreement
        • Start bargaining
          • Scope orders for enterprise agreements
            • Apply for a scope order (Form F31)
          • Resolve a dispute about bargaining
            • Apply to resolve a bargaining dispute (Form F11)
            • Apply for a bargaining order (Form F32)
            • Apply for a serious breach declaration (Form F33)
          • How to bargain in good faith
          • NERR – Notice of Employee Representational Rights
            • Create the NERR
            • Distribute the NERR to employees
        • Develop the agreement
          • Finalise the draft enterprise agreement
          • Guide to the BOOT
            • How we apply the Better Off Overall Test
            • Check an agreement can pass the BOOT
          • Terms and dates to put in an agreement
          • When employees genuinely agree to an agreement
          • Avoid common errors in agreements
            • Meet the terms in the NES
            • Sign an agreement the right way
            • Make sure your NERR is valid
            • Make 'loaded' rates clear
            • Explain what you did in the access period
            • Ways to pass the BOOT
        • Hold a vote on the agreement
          • Explain the agreement to employees
          • What to give employees during the 'access period'
          • Voting process for agreements
          • Record how and when employees vote
        • Create a greenfields enterprise agreement
          • Apply to approve a greenfields agreement (Form F19)
      • Change a single enterprise agreement
        • Apply for approval to change an agreement (Form F23)
        • Employer's declaration to vary an agreement (Form F23A)
        • Union declaration for variation of an enterprise agreement (Form F23B)
        • Apply to vary an agreement to resolve a casual conversion issue (Form F23C)
        • Apply to terminate an agreement after the nominal expiry date (Form F24B)
      • Approval of enterprise agreements
        • The process to approve an agreement
        • Requirements an agreement must meet
        • About undertakings in agreements
          • How to write an undertaking
        • Approval timelines for agreements
        • Is your agreement application ready to lodge?
        • Forms for approval of agreements
          • Apply to approve a new enterprise agreement (Form F16)
          • Employer declaration for an enterprise agreement (Form F17)
          • Union declaration for an enterprise agreement (Form F18)
          • Employee rep declaration for an agreement (Form F18A)
          • Employer's declaration for a greenfields agreement under s.182(3) (Form F20)
          • Union declaration for a greenfields agreement (Form F21)
          • Apply to approve a new greenfields agreement made under s.182(4) (Form F21A)
          • Employer's declaration for a greenfields agreement under s.182(4) (Form F21B)
          • Union declaration for approval for a greenfields agreement under s.182(4) (Form F21C)
      • Terminate an enterprise agreement
        • Apply to terminate an enterprise agreement by agreement (Form F24)
        • Ways to terminate an individual agreement (IABTI)
        • Declaration to support the termination of an agreement (Form F24A)
        • Declaration to support the termination of an agreement after nominal expiry (Form F24C)
        • Declaration in response to application to terminate an agreement after the expiry date (Form F24D)
      • Sunsetting of zombie agreements
        • Types of zombie agreements
        • Our list of possible zombie agreements
        • What to do if you have a zombie agreement
        • Extending a zombie agreement
        • Apply to extend a zombie agreement (Form F81)
    • Awards
      • Find an award
      • Create or change an award
        • Applications to create or change an award
        • Apply to create, change or revoke an award (Form F46)
      • Modern awards pay database
        • Data dictionary
        • Modern Awards Pay Database API
      • What awards contain
      • The difference between awards and agreements
      • Awards research
    • Minimum wages and conditions
      • The national minimum wage
        • National minimum wage orders
      • National Employment Standards
      • Where to find your pay and conditions
      • Superannuation
    • Gender pay equity
      • Gender pay equity in the Fair Work Act
      • Equal remuneration orders
      • Apply for an equal remuneration order (Form F46A)
  • Hearings & decisions
    • Hearings schedule
      • Adelaide hearings
      • Brisbane hearings
      • Canberra hearings
      • Darwin hearings
      • Hobart hearings
      • Melbourne hearings
      • Perth hearings
      • Sydney hearings
      • Regional hearings
    • How the Commission works
      • What to do when we set your tribunal date
      • About conferences and hearings
      • Prepare for a conference or hearing
      • Possible outcomes of a hearing or conference
      • What happens during a hearing
        • Inside the hearing room
      • On the day of your conference or hearing
      • Recording a hearing or conference
      • Ask to delay a hearing or conference
    • Appeal a decision or order
      • The appeals process
        • Reasons you may appeal a decision or order
        • Who can appeal a decision?
        • How to appeal a decision
        • Order to ‘stay’ all or part of a decision
        • Create an appeal book
      • Prepare for an appeal hearing
        • Prepare an outline of submissions for an appeal
        • What happens in an appeal hearing
        • Who sits on an Appeal Bench?
      • Timetable of appeal hearings
      • Results of appeals
      • Apply for permission to appeal (Form F7)
    • Decisions and orders
      • National wage and safety net review decisions
      • Significant decisions and summaries
    • Major cases
      • 4 yearly review
        • All decisions and statements
        • Alleged NES inconsistencies
        • Awards under review
        • Common issues
          • Abandonment of employment
          • Annual leave
          • Annualised salaries
          • Apprentice conditions
          • Award flexibility
          • Blood donor leave
          • Casual employment
          • Family and domestic violence leave
          • Family friendly work arrangements
          • Micro business schedule
          • National Training Wage
          • Overtime for casuals
          • Part-time employment
          • Payment of wages
          • Penalty rates case
            • Decisions & statements
            • General Retail Industry Award
            • Hair and Beauty Industry Award
          • Public holidays
          • Transitional provisions
        • Final stage proceedings
        • Plain language re-drafting
          • Fast Food Industry Award
          • Hair and Beauty Industry Award
        • Timetable
      • Annual wage reviews
        • Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Additional material for the Annual Wage Review 2022-23
          • Correspondence for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Decisions & statements for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Notices of listing for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Research for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Statistical reporting for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Timetable for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
          • Transcripts for the Annual Wage Review 2022–23
        • Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Additional material for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Correspondence for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Decisions & statements for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Determinations for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Draft determinations for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • National Minimum Wage Order 2022
          • Notices of listing for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Research for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Statistical reporting for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Timetable for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
          • Transcripts for the Annual Wage Review 2021–22
        • Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Additional material for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Consultations for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Correspondence for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Decisions & statements for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Determinations for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Draft determinations for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • National Minimum Wage Order 2021
          • Notices of listing for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Research for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Statistical reporting for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
            • Initial submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
            • Post-budget submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
            • Submissions in reply for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
            • Supplementary submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Timetable for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
          • Transcripts for the Annual Wage Review 2020–21
        • Annual Wage Review 2019–20
          • Additional material for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Consultations for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Correspondence for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Decisions & statements for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Determinations for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Junior & apprentice rates in modern awards for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • National Minimum Wage Order 2020
          • Notices of listing for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Research for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Research proposals for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Statistical reporting for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
            • Initial submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
            • Submissions in reply for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
            • Supplementary submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Timetable for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
          • Transcripts for the Annual Wage Review 2019-20
        • Annual Wage Review 2018–19
          • Additional material for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Consultations for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Correspondence for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Decisions & statements for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Determinations for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • National Minimum Wage Order 2019
          • Notices of listing for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Research for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Statistical reporting for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
            • Initial submissions for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
            • Submissions in reply for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Timetable for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
          • Transcripts for the Annual Wage Review 2018-19
        • Annual wage reviews archive
          • Annual Wage Review 2012–13
      • Application to terminate the Apple Retail Enterprise Agreement 2014
      • Award flexibility – Hospitality and retail sectors
        • Application to vary the Hospitality Award
        • Application to vary the Restaurant Award
        • Application to vary the Retail Award
        • Background material
        • Correspondence
        • Decisions and statements
        • Notices of listing and directions
        • Research and data
        • Submissions
        • Transcript
      • Ballot for withdrawal of ME Division from CFMMEU
      • Family and domestic violence leave review
        • Decisions & statements
      • Proposed On Demand Delivery Services Award (Menulog)
      • Review of certain C14 rates in modern awards
      • Superannuation fund reviews
      • Work value case – Aged Care Industry
        • Correspondence
        • Decisions & statements
        • Notices of listing & directions
        • Research and information
        • Submissions
        • Transcript
      • Previous major cases
        • Application to terminate the IPCA (VIC, ACT & NT) Agreement 2011
        • Ballot for withdrawal of ME Division from CFMMEU
        • Ballot for withdrawal of Manufacturing Division from CFMMEU
        • Casual terms award review 2021
          • Background material
          • Correspondence
          • Decisions & statements
          • Determinations
          • Notices of listing & directions
          • Submissions
          • Transcripts
          • All documents
        • Clerks – Private Sector Award – Work from home case
        • Equal Remuneration Case 2010-12
          • Applications
          • Correspondence
          • Decisions & statements
          • Draft orders
          • Exhibits
          • Notices of listing
          • Site inspections
          • Submissions
          • Timetable
          • Transcripts
        • Equal Remuneration and Work Value Case
          • Applications
          • Correspondence
          • Decisions and statements
          • Legislation
          • Notices of listing and directions
          • Orders
          • Papers
          • Submissions
          • Timetable
          • Transcript
        • Health sector awards – pandemic leave case
          • Applications
          • Correspondence
          • Decisions and statements
          • Determinations
          • Information notes and articles
          • Notices of listing and directions
          • Orders
          • Submissions and witness statements
          • Transcript
        • Modern awards review 2012
          • Awards reviewed 2012
        • Svitzer Australia Pty Limited industrial action
        • Undergraduate qualifications review
    • Case law benchbooks
      • Anti-bullying benchbook
        • Overview of benchbook
        • What is workplace bullying?
        • Who is covered?
          • Definition of ‘worker’
          • Definition of ‘constitutionally-covered business’
            • What is a person conducting a business or undertaking?
            • What is a Territory or a Commonwealth place?
            • What is a constitutional corporation?
            • What is the Commonwealth?
        • When is a worker bullied at work?
          • What does ‘at work’ mean?
          • Risk of continued bullying
          • What does ‘Reasonable management action’ mean?
        • Making an application
        • Responding to an application
        • What if the worker has been dismissed etc
        • Commission processes
          • Procedural issues
          • Representation by lawyers and paid agents
        • Evidence
        • What are the outcomes?
          • When can the Commission dismiss an application?
          • Contravening an order of the Commission
        • Associated applications
          • Costs
          • Appeals
          • Role of the Court
      • Enterprise agreements benchbook
        • Overview of benchbook
        • What is an enterprise agreement?
          • Single-enterprise agreement
          • Multi-enterprise agreement
          • Differences between single and multi-enterprise agreements
          • Greenfields agreement
        • Content of an enterprise agreement
          • Permitted matters
          • Coverage
          • Scope – who will be covered?
          • Terms & conditions of employment
          • Base rate of pay
          • Nominal expiry date
          • Mandatory terms
          • Flexibility term
          • Consultation term
          • Dispute settlement term
          • Optional terms
          • Terms that cannot be included
            • Terms that exclude the NES
            • Unlawful terms
            • Designated outworker terms
        • Agreement making process
          • Representation
          • Employees must be notified of their right to be represented
          • Bargaining representatives
        • Bargaining
          • Good faith bargaining
          • How long does bargaining take?
        • Voting
          • Voting process
          • Who can vote?
          • Timeframe for vote
          • Voting methods
          • When is an agreement made?
        • What happens if the parties cannot agree?
        • Making an application
          • Common defects & issues
            • National Employment Standards – common defects & issues
            • Better off overall test – common defects & issues
            • Mandatory terms – common defects & issues
            • Other terms of the agreement
            • Pre-approval requirements – common issues
            • Forms & lodgment – common defects & issues
          • Who must apply
          • Timeframe to apply – within 14 days
          • Material to accompany application
          • Signing an agreement
          • Employer must notify employees
        • Commission approval process
          • Genuine agreement
            • Minor procedural or technical errors
          • Where a scope order is in operation
          • Particular kinds of employees
          • Better off overall test (BOOT)
            • When an agreement passes
            • Classes of employees
            • Which award applies
            • Advice about coverage
            • Loaded rates of pay
          • Public interest test
          • Undertakings
          • Powers of the Commission
        • Associated applications
          • Majority support determinations
          • Authorisations to commence bargaining
            • Single interest employer authorisations
            • Ministerial declaration
            • Low-paid authorisations
          • Scope orders
          • Bargaining orders
          • Serious breach declarations
          • Disputes
          • Workplace determinations
            • Low-paid workplace determinations
            • Industrial action related workplace determinations
            • Bargaining related workplace determinations
          • Role of the Court
          • Appeals
          • Varying enterprise agreements
            • Varying by agreement
            • Ambiguity or uncertainty
            • Casual employee definition and casual conversion provisions
            • Discrimination
          • Terminating enterprise agreements
            • Terminating by agreement
            • After its nominal expiry date
          • Terminating individual agreements
      • General protections benchbook
        • Overview of benchbook
          • When is a person covered by the general protections?
        • What are the general protections?
        • How do the general protections work?
          • Rebuttable presumption as to reason or intent
        • Coverage for general protections
          • What is a constitutionally-covered entity?
          • What is a Territory or a Commonwealth place?
          • What is a trade and commerce employer?
          • What is a Territory employer?
          • What is a national system employer?
        • What if I am not covered by the general protections?
        • What is adverse action?
          • What is dismissal?
          • What is ‘injuring’ the employee in his or her employment?
          • What is altering the position of the employee to the employee’s prejudice?
          • What is discriminating between the employee and other employees of the employer?
          • Threatened action and organisation of action
          • Exclusions
        • Workplace rights – Division 3
          • Meaning of workplace right
          • Coercion
          • Undue influence or pressure
          • Misrepresentations
          • Requiring the use of COVIDSafe
        • Industrial activities – Division 4
          • What are industrial activities?
          • Coercion
          • Misrepresentations
          • Inducements – membership action
        • Other protections – Division 5
          • Discrimination
            • Race
            • Colour
            • Gender identity & sexual orientation
            • Age
            • Physical or mental disability
            • Marital status
            • Family or carer’s responsibilities
            • Pregnancy
            • Religion
            • Political opinion
            • National extraction
            • Social origin
          • Exceptions
          • Temporary absence – illness or injury
          • Bargaining services fees
          • Coverage by particular instruments
          • Coercion – allocation of duties to particular person
        • Sham arrangements – Division 6
          • Misrepresenting employment
          • Dismissing to engage as independent contractor
          • Misrepresentation to engage as independent contractor
        • Making an application
          • Dismissal applications
            • Timeframe for lodgment
            • Late lodgment
          • Non-dismissal applications
          • Other types of applications
            • Multiple actions relating to dismissal
            • Unfair dismissal
            • Unlawful termination
            • Court application (interim injunction)
            • Discrimination
        • Power to dismiss applications
        • Evidence
        • Commission process
          • Conferences & hearings
          • Dealing with different types of general protections disputes
          • Rescheduling or adjourning matters
          • Representation by lawyers and paid agents
          • Bias
        • Outcomes
        • Costs
          • When are costs ordered by the Commission?
          • Costs against representatives
        • Appeals
        • Role of the Court
          • Enforcement of Commission orders
          • Types of order made by the Court
      • Industrial action benchbook
        • What is industrial action?
          • Unprotected industrial action
            • Orders to stop or prevent unprotected industrial action
          • Protected industrial action
            • Immunity
            • Common requirements
            • Employee claim action
            • Employer response action
            • Employee response action
            • Pattern bargaining
        • Taking protected industrial action
          • Protected action ballots
            • Who may apply?
            • Making an application
            • Commission process
            • Varying a protected action ballot order
            • Revoking a protected action ballot order
          • Voting
            • Ballot agents
            • Who may vote – roll of voters
            • Ballot papers
            • Voting procedure
            • Scrutiny of the ballot
            • Results of the ballot
            • When is industrial action authorised?
          • Notice requirements
          • Commencing protected industrial action
        • Payments relating to industrial action
          • Partial work bans
          • Unprotected industrial action – payments
          • Standing down employees
        • Suspension or termination of protected industrial action
          • Powers of the Commission
            • When the Commission may suspend or terminate
            • When the Commission must suspend or terminate
              • Threats to persons or the economy
              • Suspending industrial action
            • Requirements relating to a period of suspension
          • Powers of the Minister
        • Enforcement
        • Appeals
      • Sexual harassment benchbook
        • Overview of benchbook
        • What is sexual harassment?
        • Who is covered by the laws to stop sexual harassment at work?
          • Definition of ‘Worker’
          • Definition of ‘constitutionally-covered business’
            • What is a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU)?
              • What is a Commonwealth authority?
              • What is a Territory or a Commonwealth place?
              • What is a body corporate incorporated in a Territory?
              • What is the Commonwealth?
        • When is a worker sexually harassed at work?
          • What does ‘at work’ mean?
          • Reasonable belief of bullying or sexual harassment at work
        • Risk of continued sexual harassment
          • Absence of future risk of sexual harassment
          • Change in circumstances
          • Other options for workers who are no longer working for the employer/principal
        • Making an application
          • Responding to an application
        • Commission process – Hearings and conferences
          • Powers of the Commission
          • Procedural issues
          • Representation by lawyers and paid agents
            • Notification of ‘acting for’ a person
            • What is representation?
            • When will permission be granted?
            • Exception – Conference by staff conciliator
            • Representation – Not in a conference or hearing
          • Bias
          • Rescheduling or adjourning matters
        • Evidence
          • Privilege against self-incrimination
        • What are the outcomes?
          • Conciliated outcomes
          • Orders to stop bullying or sexual harassment (or both) at work
          • Considerations
          • When can the Commission dismiss an application?
          • Contravening an order of the Commission
        • Associated applications
          • Costs
            • What are costs?
            • Applying for costs
            • When are costs ordered?
          • Appeals
          • Role of the Court
      • Unfair dismissals benchbook
        • Overview of unfair dismissal
        • Coverage for unfair dismissal
          • Who is protected from unfair dismissal?
          • People excluded from national unfair dismissal laws
            • Independent contractors
            • Labour hire workers
            • Vocational placements & volunteers
            • Public sector employment
          • Constitutional corporations
          • High income threshold
          • Modern award coverage
          • Application of an enterprise agreement
          • What is the minimum period of employment?
            • How do you calculate the minimum period of employment?
            • What is continuous service?
            • What is an excluded period?
          • Bankruptcy
          • Insolvency
        • What is dismissal?
          • When does a dismissal take effect?
          • Terminated at the employer's initiative
          • Forced resignation
          • Demotion
          • Contract for a specified period of time
          • Contract for a specified task
          • Contract for a specified season
          • Training arrangement
          • What is a transfer of employment?
          • Periods of service as a casual employee
          • What is a genuine redundancy?
            • Job no longer required due to changes in operational requirements
            • Consultation obligations
            • Redeployment
          • What is the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code?
        • What makes a dismissal unfair?
          • Valid reason relating to capacity or conduct
            • Capacity
            • Conduct
          • Notification of reason for dismissal
          • Opportunity to respond
          • Unreasonable refusal of a support person
          • Warnings – unsatisfactory performance
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Freedom of information

Introduction

You can request information from us under the Freedom of Information Act 1982. Find out how to request information, and the process we follow.

On this page:

  • Documents available outside the FOI Act
  • How to make an FOI request
  • FOI disclosure log
  • Fees & charges
  • What you can expect from us
  • If you disagree with our decision
  • Complaints
  • Privacy notice
Content

Documents available outside the FOI Act

The Commission's Privacy policy sets out what types of case files may be available for inspection by the public.

A formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request is not required to access documents where these are available for inspection under the Commission's file access policy (which forms part of our Privacy policy).

Access to case file documents is at the discretion of the Commission and will be subject to the exceptions set out in the file access policy.

You should also check the information we have published under our Information publication scheme and FOI disclosure log to see if what you are seeking is already available.

Information that is frequently sought and can be found on our website includes:

  • Awards
  • Agreements
  • Annual wage reviews
  • Modern awards list
  • All decisions
  • Links to relevant legislation
  • Award modernisation
  • Unfair dismissal
  • Unlawful termination (general protections)
  • Forms
  • Contact us
  • Latest news

If you wish to request information from the Commission please use the details below.

For persons seeking documents relating to a Commission matter

You can make a request under the file access policy:

  • If you are seeking to access documents about a case file where you were a party or a representative to a party (please note you will be required to provide proof of identity or authority to act); or
  • For documents on case files which are generally available to the public.

You can make a request by email to librarian@fwc.gov.au or by post to Library Records Management Unit, GPO Box 1994, Melbourne, Victoria 3001. 

For FOI requests

  • An FOI request may be made by email to foi@fwc.gov.au or by post to the FOI Contact Officer, GPO Box 1994, Melbourne, Victoria 3001. Please also see the section below on how to make an FOI request.

For general information on FOI

  • If you would like further information about FOI, you may send your enquiry by email to foi@fwc.gov.au or contact a Freedom of Information staff member by calling (03) 8656 4544.

For general case enquiries by parties

  • If you have a general enquiry about a case you were involved in or require general information about Commission procedures, contact the Commission on 1300 799 675 or email enquiries@fwc.gov.au.

How to make an FOI request

An FOI request for access to documents must:

  • be in writing
  • state that the request is an application for the purposes of the FOI Act
  • provide information about the document(s) you seek to access, to help us locate them, and
  • provide an address for reply.

Your request for amendment or annotation of personal records must:

  • be in writing
  • as far as is practicable specify:
    • the document containing the record of personal information that is claimed to require amendment or annotation
    • the information that is claimed to be incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading
    • whether the information is claimed to be incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading, and your reasons for so claiming
    • the amendment or annotation that would make the information complete, correct, up to date or not misleading, and
  • provide an address for reply.

You can send your request by email to foi@fwc.gov.au or by post to:

FOI Contact Officer
Fair Work Commission
GPO Box 1994
Melbourne Victoria 3001

If you ask a third party to make an FOI request on your behalf, you need to provide a specific, written authority to send copies of documents to you, care of that person, or to allow that person to inspect copies of documents containing information about you.

FOI disclosure log

The FOI disclosure log contains information released by the Fair Work Commission in response to requests under the FOI Act.

Since 1 May 2011, the Commission is required by the FOI Act to publish a register of information that has been released in response to an FOI request.

The disclosure log requirement does not apply to:

  • personal information about any person if publication of that information would be unreasonable
  • information about the business, commercial, financial or professional affairs of any person if publication of that information would be unreasonable
  • other information covered by a determination made by the Australian Information Commissioner if publication of that information would be unreasonable
  • any information if it is not reasonably practicable to publish the information because of the extent of modifications that would need to be made to delete the information listed above.

The Commission will publish information in the disclosure log within 10 working days of an FOI applicant being granted access to a document.

Copies of the documents released under the FOI Act from 1 January 2015 onwards are available online. For documents released prior to 1 January 2015, or for documents unavailable in electronic format, please contact the Commission’s FOI Contact Officer by email to foi@fwc.gov.au or by post to:

FOI Officer
Fair Work Commission
PO Box 1994
Melbourne Victoria 3001

A charge may be imposed to reimburse the Commission for the cost incurred in copying or reproducing the information or sending it to you. You will be notified if any charge is payable and required to pay the charge before the information is provided.

There may be documents in the disclosure log that are currently not available in HTML format. If you are unable to read the format provided please contact the FOI Contact Officer by email or by post using the contact details above. We will try to meet all reasonable requests for alternative formats in a timely manner and at the lowest reasonable cost to you.

Fees & charges

There is no application fee for an FOI request.

There are no processing charges for requests for access to documents containing only personal information about you. However, processing charges may apply to other requests.

The most common charges are:

Activity Item
Search and retrieval: time we spend searching for or retrieving a document $15 per hour
Decision making: time we spend in deciding to grant or refuse a request, including examining documents, consulting with other parties, and making deletions First 5 hours: Nil
Subsequent hours: $20 per hour
Transcript: preparing a transcript from a sound recording, shorthand or similar medium $4.40 per page of transcript
Photocopying $0.10 per page
Inspection: time we spend supervising your inspection of documents or hearing or viewing of an audio or visual recording at our premises $6.25 per half hour (or part thereof)
Delivery: sending or delivering a copy of a document at your request Cost of postage or delivery

If we decide to impose a charge, we will give you a written estimate and the basis of our calculation. Where the estimated charge is between $20 and $100, we may ask you to pay a deposit of $20, or where the estimated charge exceeds $100, we may ask you to pay a 25% deposit before we process your request.

You can ask for the charge to be waived or reduced for any reason, including financial hardship or on the grounds of public interest. If you do so, you should explain your reasons and you may need to provide some evidence. We will then decide whether to grant the waiver or reduce the charge.

What you can expect from us

We will tell you within 14 days that we have received your FOI request.

As soon as practicable, we will also give you an estimate of any charges that apply to your request.

We may decide that there is a practical reason to refuse an FOI request if:

  • the work involved in processing a request would substantially and unreasonably divert the Commission’s resources from its other operations
  • the request does not provide enough information about the requested documents as is reasonably necessary to enable us to identify them.

This is called a practical refusal reason. If we decide that a practical refusal reason exists, you will be notified in writing and we will conduct a 14-day request consultation process with you. The request consultation process will give you an opportunity to consult with us to revise your request so that a practical refusal reason no longer exists. This period is to be disregarded in working out the period in which we must process your request, discussed below.

We will give you our decision on your FOI request within 30 days, unless that time has been extended. The timeframe for making a decision on an FOI request can be extended in certain circumstances.

If a document contains information about a third party, we will need to consult with them and may need to extend the time to give you our decision by another 30 days. We may also seek your agreement to extend the time by up to 30 days if your request is complex.

In some circumstances, we may also apply to the Information Commissioner for an extension of time to process your request, for example if the request is complex or voluminous.

Under the FOI Act, the Fair Work Commission may make a range of decisions in response to an FOI request, including to:

  • grant access to some or all of the requested documents, either in full or in part
  • refuse access to requested documents, including when:
    • the documents are exempt under the FOI Act
    • the documents are conditionally exempt under the FOI Act, where public interest factors against disclosure outweigh the public interest factors favouring disclosure
    • the documents do not exist, cannot be found or were not received from a contractor
    • a practical refusal reason exists following a request consultation process
  • refuse to confirm or deny that a document which would be exempt exists
  • defer access to a requested document in limited circumstances
  • provide access to personal information of the FOI applicant through a qualified person.

If we decide to refuse all or part of your FOI request or defer access to documents, we will provide you with a statement of reasons explaining the decision.

The Commission has a Freedom of Information policy for Commission Members and staff informing Commission Members and staff of their responsibilities regarding FOI and of the Commission's processes for handling FOI requests. 

More information about the possible outcomes of an FOI request is available on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) website.

If you disagree with our decision

When we have made a decision about your FOI request, we will send you a letter explaining our decision and your review rights.

You can ask for the following decisions to be reviewed:

  • if we refuse to give you access to all or part of a document or documents or if we defer giving you access
  • if we impose a charge to process your FOI request
  • if we refuse to change or annotate information about you that you claim is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.

A third party who disagrees with our decision to give you documents that contain information about them can also ask for our decision to be reviewed.

Internal review

You can request in writing that we reconsider our decision through an internal review. An internal review will be conducted by another officer in our agency. We will normally advise you of the internal review decision within 30 days of receiving your request. In limited circumstances, we may apply to the Information Commissioner for additional time to advise you of the internal review decision.

If you wish to lodge a request for internal review with the Fair Work Commission, send your written request by email to generalmanager@fwc.gov.au or by post to:

General Manager
Fair Work Commission
GPO Box 1994
Melbourne Victoria 3001

Information Commissioner review

You can ask the Information Commissioner to review our original decision or our internal review decision within 60 days of the date of the relevant decision (or 30 days after you are notified of the decision, if you are an affected third party).

The Information Commissioner can affirm or vary the decision or substitute a new decision. The Information Commissioner may decide not to conduct a review in certain circumstances. More information is available at the OAIC website.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your request, you can complain to the Information Commissioner who may investigate our actions. More information is available on the OAIC website.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman can also investigate complaints about our actions. However, the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner will consult to avoid the same matter being investigated twice.

Privacy notice

The Commission collects the information, including personal information that you provide about yourself and others, when you:

  • make an enquiry
  • apply for access to information under the FOI Act or the Privacy Act 1988, or
  • make a submission in relation to an FOI request.

For more details of the Commission’s collection, use and disclosure of this information, please see the Privacy notice – Freedom of information & privacy.

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Published by the Fair Work Commission (www.fwc.gov.au)
Last updated: 20 Oct 2022
Location on last update: https://www.fwc.gov.au/about-us/legal-and-freedom-information/freedom-information