English language assistance - pdf 104KB

Language assistance

There are changes to Australia’s workplace relations laws from 1 July 2009.

The new laws describe the rights and obligations people have at work.

The changes affect most Australian workplaces.

Some of these rights and obligations are about:

• what employees should get paid
• leave entitlements and work conditions
• records employers need to keep
• how employees and employers can get help if they have a problem at work
• not discriminating, for example on the basis of race, sex, sexual preference, age, physical or mental disability, or marital status.

Who can help?

There are 2 organisations in the new national workplace relations system.

They are Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Fair Work Australia is the national workplace relations tribunal. It is an independent body with power to carry out a range of functions relating to:

• the safety net of minimum wages and employment conditions
• enterprise bargaining
• industrial action
• dispute resolution
• termination of employment
• other workplace matters.

The Fair Work Ombudsman:

• provides advice and education on Australia’s workplace laws
• monitors compliance and investigates contraventions of national workplace laws
• publishes information on workplace rights and obligations
• provides tools and information for smallbusinesses.