Established 2009 Authorized by Founded 2009 | Country Australia Website FWC website Parent organization Midwest Holding | |
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Composition method Appointed by the Governor-General of Australia on the recommendation of the Australian Government Currently Justice Iain JK Ross AO | ||
What is the fair work commission
The Fair Work Commission (FWC), formerly known as Fair Work Australia (FWA), is the Australian industrial relations tribunal created by the Fair Work Act 2009 as part of the Rudd Government's reforms to industrial relations in Australia. Operations commenced on 1 July 2009 as the successor of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. Ms Bernadette O'Neill is its current general manager.
Contents
- What is the fair work commission
- What happens at a conciliation fair work commission
- Role
- Structure
- President
- Vice Presidents
- Deputy presidents
- Commissioners
- References
FWC's functions include the setting and varying industrial awards, minimum wage fixation, dispute resolution, the approval of enterprise agreements, and handling claims for unfair dismissal. It is the successor body to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, though it also performs functions previously performed by the Workplace Authority and the Australian Fair Pay Commission.
What happens at a conciliation fair work commission
Role
FWC is an independent body with the power and authority to regulate and enforce provisions relating to minimum wages and employment conditions, enterprise bargaining, industrial action, dispute resolution, and termination of employment.
The Fair Work Act is an attempt to create a more national system for regulating industrial relations in Australia. Each state has the discretion to hand over some or all of their industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth, and should a state decide to refer their powers to a centralized and national industrial relations system, all the employees of that state would effectively be covered by the national Fair Work Act. The FWC has taken over the roles of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in matters of workplace disputes and industrial actions. It is also involved in the process of determining national industrial relations policies, including setting minimum wages and regulating the award system. Since the introduction of the Fair Work Act, all states except Western Australia have referred their powers to the Commonwealth.
Structure
As of its date of conception, all FWC members were previously members of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The FWC has a President (Justice Iain JK Ross AO), a number of Deputy Presidents and Commissioners. The General Manager reports to the President and is responsible for administration. This position replaced the Industrial Registrar. The inaugural President was Justice Giudice. He retired from this position in February 2012, and was succeeded by former Victorian Supreme Court judge, now Federal Court judge Iain Ross.
FWC has members based in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
The members of the FWC, as at 2 December 2016 are: