Fair Work Commission

In 2015–16, Commission Members held 16,683 hearings and conferences, which is fewer than the previous year.

Hearings and conferences are held around Australia, including in the Commission's capital city offices, in regional locations, and by telephone and video conference. In some cases Members can also make decisions by requesting parties to submit their materials in writing so a decision can be made 'on the papers'.

Commission Members are increasingly holding hearings and conferences by telephone and video conference. This means that the parties often do not have to leave their home or workplace in order to participate, reducing their costs. In 2015–16 there were 4,440 telephone and video conferences and hearings, an increase of 25.8 per cent over four years.

This work is supplemented by conferences conducted by staff conciliators. Staff conciliators assist the parties to attempt to resolve the dispute by agreement and do not have the power to make a formal decision on the application. Such conferences are generally held by telephone for the convenience of parties. In 2015–16 staff conducted over 12,500 such conferences.

Figure 4: Map of Australia showing the number of hearings and conferences by location

1 Does not include telephone conferences conducted by administration staff.

1 Does not include telephone conferences conducted by administration staff.