Fair Work Australia 
This Work Scene Investigation will help you understand the new work laws introduced by the government.Fair Work Australia is the new name for the Australian Industrial Relations Commission – the responsibilities are similar, the people making the decisions are the same, it continues to be an independent umpire, and will continue to play a major role in resolving industrial disputes in Australia.
Read the fact sheet about the Fair Work Australia and have a look at the Fair Work Australia website (www.fairwork.gov.au)to answer the following questions:
a) What are the general responsibilities of Fair Work Australia?
b) Explain the role of the Fair Work Ombudsman.
c) How can Fair Work Australia assist in dispute resolution?
Modern Awards: updating a great Australian system
Under Fair Work Australia, industry wage awards have been reviewed and rationalized to become a lot more straightforward. Generally, different awards will apply to different industries, although all are enforceable documents containing employment standards including basic rates of pay, maximum ordinary hours of work, annual leave, personal leave, and parental leave and related entitlements.
Using the fact sheet on modern awards, answer the following questions:
a) What makes Australia’s award wage system ‘different’ from award systems in other countries?
b) What does each modern award incorporate?
c) Select an occupation of your choice. Research the type of award that this occupation is covered by. What are some of the particulars of this award that make it different to awards in other industries?
Unfair dismissal
Fair Work Australia says that unfair dismissal refers to an employee that has been dismissed and the dismissal was unjust and unreasonable, not a case of actual redundancy, and was not consistent with the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code.
Using the fact sheet on unfair dismissal, answer the following questions:
a) What is ‘unfair dismissal?’
b) If you feel you have been unfairly dismissed, where can you go for advice?
c) If you work for a company with less than 15 employees (small business), can you be unfairly dismissed?
Related Worksite fact sheets:
New Work Laws – Introducing Fair Work AustraliaNew Work Laws – Minimum employment standardsNew Work Laws – Modern awardsNew Work Laws – Unfair dismissal