If your enquiry relates to the topics below, the following external organisations can help:
Services that may be able to offer legal help can be found on the Where to get legal advice page.
You will need to contact the Fair Work Ombudsman. They can provide you with information about:
You can visit their website at www.fairwork.gov.au.
The Fair Work Ombudsman is a separate organisation from the Fair Work Commission.
An unfair dismissal is a dismissal that is 'harsh, unjust or unreasonable'.
You might find the answer to your question on this website.
Go to:
The general protections aim to protect workplace rights and freedom of association and to provide protection from workplace discrimination.
You might find the answer to your question on this website.
An employee who has been dismissed because of discrimination but who is not a national system employee may be able to make an unlawful termination application.
You might find the answer to your question on this website.
You can only make one application to the Fair Work Commission about your dismissal.
Commission staff cannot give you advice about whether or not you can or should make an application, and cannot tell you how best to run your case. You will need to seek independent advice.
You can find a community legal centre in your area at the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
The law institute or law society in your state or territory may be able to refer you to a private solicitor.
The application for fee for a dismissal application (unfair dismissal, general protections dismissal, unlawful termination) is $71.90.
If the fee will cause you financial hardship, you can apply to have the fee waived.
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Lodge your waiver form by email, facsimile, post or in person at one of the Fair Work Commission's offices. All contact details can be found on the Commission offices page.
The time limit for lodging an unfair dismissal application or a general protections dismissal application is 21 days after the date the dismissal took effect.
The time limit for lodging an unlawful termination application is 21 days after the date the dismissal took effect.
The Fair Work Commission may allow an extension of time for the lodgment of the application if satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances.
Commission staff cannot give you advice about whether or not your circumstances would be considered exceptional. You will need to seek independent advice.
You can find a community legal centre in your area at the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
The law institute or law society in your state or territory may be able to refer you to a private solicitor.
Lodge your application form by email, facsimile, post or in person at one of the Fair Work Commission's offices. All contact details can be found on the Commission offices page.
You can also apply electronically through the Commission's Online Lodgment Service.
In limited circumstances, you can apply over the phone on 1300 799 675.
You might find the answer to your question about an unfair dismissal application that is currently at the Fair Work Commission on our website.
The Fair Work Commission does not have any power to require an employer to provide an employee with a separation certificate.
For assistance obtaining a separation certificate from your employer, or to find out when you're required to provide one to a former employee, you will need to contact Centrelink on 132 850.
Initial applications can be lodged online using our Online Lodgment Service.
You can also lodge an application through email, post, fax, or in person. Find out more on our lodge an application page.
From 1 January 2014 onwards, workers in Australia who reasonably believe they have been the subject of bullying conduct at work may apply to the Fair Work Commission for an order to stop the bullying.
For more information you can visit our Anti-bullying page which contains an eligibility quiz, guide, benchbook, and more. You can also find out how to lodge an application for an order to stop bullying.
The Commission can only make an order to stop bullying at the work where there is risk that the bullying will continue. Orders cannot be made when the worker is no longer exposed the alleged bullying, including if the worker is no longer engaged with the workplace where they allege the bullying occurred.
The Commission will assist the parties to explore whether a solution can be reached to preserve the working relationship in order to return to a safe, harmonious and productive working environment.
To confirm your contact details or seek an adjournment for an upcoming unfair dismissal conciliation, please contact the Conciliation Support Team: udt@fwc.gov.au.
To confirm your contact details or seek an adjournment for an upcoming General Protections conciliation, please contact the General Protections Case Management Team: gpt@fwc.gov.au.
To get specialised support about the bargaining process and making an agreement, or follow up on an agreement in progress, please contact the Agreements Team: member.assist@fwc.gov.au.
For enquiries about the current modern award review process, please contact the Award Modernisation Team: amod@fwc.gov.au.
The general protections aim to protect workplace rights and freedom of association and to provide protection from workplace discrimination.
You might find the answer to your question about general protections disputes on our website.
You can ask the Fair Work Commission for help while you are negotiating a new enterprise agreement. You, as a bargaining representative, could do this if you are unable to resolve a dispute about the terms of the proposed enterprise agreement.
You might find the answer to your question about enterprise bargaining disputes on our website.
If you have a question about a dispute over the clauses contained in your existing award or enterprise agreement, you might find the answer to your question on our website.
The Fair Work Act 2009 and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 enable union officials to enter workplaces for specified purposes.
You might find the answer to your question about right of entry on our website.
The Fair Work Commission is responsible for setting minimum wages for employees in the national workplace relations system.
You might find the answer to your question about the annual wage review on our website.
Industrial action can take a variety of forms. For example, employees may go on strike or impose work bans. Employers may lock out their employees.
You might find the answer to your question about industrial action on our website.
The Fair Work Act 2009 and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 enable union officials to enter workplaces for specified purposes.
You might find the answer to your question about right of entry on our website.
Please visit Fair Work Commission's website or contact on 1300 799 675.
Services that may be able to offer legal help can be found on the Where to get legal advice page.
Service | Phone | Website |
---|---|---|
Beyond Blue |
1300 224 636 |
|
Lifeline |
13 11 14 |
|
Mensline Australia |
1300 789 978 |
|
SANE |
1800 187 623 |
|
The Suicide Call Back Service |
1300 659 467 |
Still not sure? Submit your question
Fair Work Commission staff cannot provide legal advice or answer questions relating to wages and employment entitlements. Before contacting the Commission you may wish to check the information above which could help with your enquiry.
Phone number | Operating hours |
---|---|
1300 799 675 within Australia |
between 9am and 5pm (local time) Monday to Friday |
+61 293 081 808 overseas |
between 9 am and 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday to Friday Note: calls to this number will be charged at the international rate your service provider charges for these types of calls. |
Calls are generally answered within 10 minutes. Longer wait times may apply during peak periods.
You can lodge an application online at any time using our Online Lodgment Service.
The Fair Work Commission has offices in all capital cities and some regional areas where you can write, visit or email us.
For further information, click on the state or territory from the following list:
Please note if your call relates to unfair dismissal, general protections or anti-bullying, these calls can only be answered by our Helpline which is available between 9am and 5pm (AEDST), Monday to Friday on 1300 799 675.
For urgent industrial action applications outside business hours, please refer to our Commission offices page for emergency contact details.
For information about:
please go to our Accessibility page.
For information about:
Please go to our News & media page.
To provide feedback on:
Please go to our Complaints & feedback page.