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Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO)
Practical Law ANZ Glossary w-001-0733 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO)
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and the staff of the Office of the FWO are together a statutory agency established under Part 5-2 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act). The Commonwealth Minister with responsibility for the FWO is the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.
The FWO is the head of the agency, appointed by the Governor-General under section 687 of the FW Act. Effective from 1 September 2023, the FWO is Anna Booth. She has been appointed for a term of five years and replaces Sandra Parker, whose term ended on 14 July 2023.
The functions of the FWO include:
- Promoting compliance with:
- the FW Act and the Fair Work Regulations 2009 (Cth); and
- modern awards, enterprise agreements and other fair work instruments (including the national minimum wage order).
- Providing education, assistance and advice to employees, employers, outworkers, outworker entities and unions.
- Monitoring compliance and enquiring into contraventions.
- Undertaking enforcement activities, such as investigation, issuing compliance notices and initiating court proceedings into contraventions (including certain contraventions of safety net contractual entitlements).
The Office of the FWO consists of:
- The FWO.
- The staff of the FWO.
The FWO may delegate any of its functions to staff or a Fair Work Inspector (section 683, FW Act).