'Voluntary compliance' is where a party who's contravened Commonwealth workplace laws fixes the problem, as requested by the Fair Work Inspector.
The steps involved are:
A Fair Work Inspector has found the party contravened or is contravening one or more Commonwealth workplace laws.
The Fair Work Inspector sends the party correspondence asking for the problems to be fixed within 14 days.
Evidence showing voluntary compliance
The party must show the Fair Work Inspector evidence they have fixed the contravention within the 14 days.
This includes providing documents showing the amounts they paid employees and any other actions they took that relate to the problem.
If the party can’t produce documents, the Fair Work Inspector assumes they haven't fixed the problem. The Fair Work Inspector may then take further action.
In some cases, the Fair Work Inspector may recommend the matter go to court. This may happen when the contravention is serious (even if the party has taken steps to voluntarily comply).
Getting help
If someone needs help understanding what they should do to fix a contravention, they should contact the Fair Work Inspector for more information. They can also seek independent advice.
The Fair Work Inspector will explain what needs to be done and give advice to help the party resolve the issues themselves.
Getting an extension
If there are reasons that a party can’t meet the Fair Work Inspector's timeframe (usually 14 days), the Fair Work Inspector might agree to extend the time allowed to fix the problems.
To seek an extension, the party must contact the Fair Work Inspector and explain the amount of extra time they seek and why they need it.
The Fair Work Inspector may ask the party to give them a written request for an extension or to agree in writing to make payments as set out in a schedule.
After this, the Fair Work Inspector considers the request and tells the party whether they grant the request.