In January 2020, the Fair Work Ombudsman was recognised and awarded as meeting the Best Practice standards.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has been accredited as a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace since 2010.
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is an independent statutory office. Our jurisdiction is set out in the Fair Work Act 2009 and our services are free to all workers and employers in Australia.
Our purpose is to promote harmonious, productive, cooperative and compliant workplace relations in Australia. Our functions outline the responsibilities we have as set by the Fair Work Act 2009 to achieve our purpose:
- Provide education, assistance, advice and guidance to employers, employees, outworkers, outworker entities and organisations.
- Promote and monitor compliance with workplace laws.
- Inquire into and investigate breaches of the Fair Work Act.
- Take appropriate enforcement action.
- Perform our statutory functions efficiently, effectively, economically and ethically.
The FWO is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion through fostering a supportive, respectful and engaging work environment for our employees. We have been accredited as a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace since 2011, recognising that we are an equitable, flexible and family friendly workplace that supports employees who choose to combine work and breastfeeding commitments.
We encourage and promote a collaborative approach to discussing workplace flexibilities such as part-time work arrangements and flexible working hours that can help our employees achieve a work-life balance and have a range of family-friendly entitlements and benefits, such as:
- Parental leave (including maternity, supporting partner/paternity, primary caregiver, and adoption/foster care)
- Paid lactation breaks
- An ability to purchase additional leave
- Access to an Employee Assistance Program