The House Employment, Education and Training Committee will hold two public hearings to examine how policy responses designed to manage the COVID-19 pandemic are affecting the workplace and the impact this may have on the Fair Work Commission.
The Committee will hold public hearings with employee groups on Wednesday, 17 November 2021, and with the Fair Work Commission and employer groups on Friday, 19 November 2021.
Committee Chair, said, ‘The Committee is examining aspects of the Fair Work Commission Annual Report 2019-20 and will scrutinise the Commission on its role and performance. In particular, the Committee is interested in the increase in the Commission’s caseload early in the pandemic, which included a substantial increase in the number of unfair dismissal matters and workplace disputes and we want to explore potential factors leading to this increase.’
‘The Commission also notes that significant measures have only recently taken effect, such as vaccine mandates’, Mr Laming said.
Mr Laming continued, ‘The Committee is interested in finding out from employee and employer groups about how pandemic responses, including vaccine requirements and mandates on both employers and employees, and demands upon staff to enforce mandates in the workforce, are likely to impact Commission caseload going forward.’
Public hearing details
Date: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Time: 11.00am to 1.00pm AEDT
Location: via videoconference
Program: available .
Date: Friday, 19 November 2021
Time: 12.15pm to 4.00pm AEDT
Location: via videoconference
Program: available .
The hearings will be broadcast live at .
Further information about the inquiry is available on the .
