Service charter
The Commission’s service charter outlines the nature and level of service the public can expect from Commission staff. You can read the service charter at www.fwc.gov.au.
The website provides information on how to make a complaint or provide feedback on the Commission’s administrative activities. The Commission relies on feedback and complaints to identify service problems and potential improvements, while recognising that each year a number of complaints involve issues that are outside the jurisdiction or authority of the Commission’s administration.
The Commission has a separate process for dealing with complaints about Members, in accordance with the Fair Work Act. There is information about complaints about Members at www.fwc.gov.au.
During 2018–19 the Commission received 86 written complaints about our processes and practices. This is a decrease of 13 per cent from 99 complaints in 2017–18 and continues the downward trend in complaints received over the last four years.
The Commission aims to respond to written complaints within 20 working days. The Commission responded to written complaints within an average of 12 days in 2018–19, consistent with the previous year’s timeframe of 11 days.
The number of complaints about the Commission’s processes decreased by 5 per cent, to 23 in 2018–19 from 32 in 2017–18. A substantial number of those complaints involved issues that were outside the jurisdiction or authority of the Commission’s administration. Complaints received in relation to staff conciliations were consistent with the previous year and remained lower than in 2016–17 and 2015–16.
Table 39 provides a breakdown of the categories and numbers of written complaints received.
Table 39: Complaints
|
2018–19 |
2017–18 |
2016–17 |
2015–16 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Member conduct |
7 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
|
Staff conciliation1 |
25 |
22 |
35 |
30 |
|
Outcome of a matter2 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
6 |
|
Timeliness |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
Administration3 |
8 |
15 |
17 |
20 |
|
Pay and entitlements |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Complaint relating to modern awards or enterprise agreements4 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
12 |
|
Adjournment request refusal |
3 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
|
Process5 |
23 |
32 |
37 |
45 |
|
Other |
14 |
11 |
3 |
15 |
|
Total |
86 |
99 |
105 |
144 |
1 ‘Staff conciliation’ supersedes the previous classification of ‘unfair dismissal conciliation’. Staff conciliations will now include all conciliation processes and conciliator conduct.
2 Complaints relating to the outcome of a matter include decisions of the Commission. These matters generally cannot be dealt with through the complaints process and usually require a formal appeal of the decision to be lodged.
3 ‘Administration’ includes administrative errors, staff conduct, and errors with the website and lodgment system.
4 Complaints relating to the content of modern awards or enterprise agreements usually cannot be resolved through the complaints process and usually require a formal application to be lodged to amend or vary these instruments.
5 ‘Process’ relates to either dissatisfaction with one of the Commission’s processes or a fundamental misunderstanding of the process or the authority of the Commission.
Visit
https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/fair-work-commission/reporting-year/2018-2019-30