Fair Work System

For: 
Employees
Employers

The Fair Work system is Australia’s national workplace relations system. The system aims to foster safer, fairer and more productive workplaces for employers and employees by promoting and supporting the adoption of fair and flexible workplace arrangements and safer working arrangements.

The Fair Work system is overseen by the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The Fair Work system is designed to balance the needs of employees and employers.

Key elements of the system are:

  • a comprehensive safety net of minimum employment conditions
  • bargaining in good faith at the enterprise level
  • protections from unfair dismissal for all employees
  • protection for the low-paid
  • a balance between work and family life, and
  • protection of the freedom to choose to be represented in the workplace.

The Fair Work system is enforced in part by two independent bodies:

  • The Fair Work Commission is the national workplace relations tribunal and has the power to carry out a range of functions including providing a safety net of minimum conditions, resolving workplace disputes and facilitating good faith bargaining.
  • The Fair Work Ombudsman helps employees, employers, contractors and the wider community understand their workplace rights and responsibilities and enforces compliance with Australia’s workplace laws.

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