The Fair Work Ombudsman

What The Fair Work Ombudsman does

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is the Australian Commonwealth statutory agency established on 1 July 2009 under the Fair Work Act 2009, serving as the sole national regulator of workplace relations in Australia. It operates under the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and was formed by consolidating the Office of Workplace Services, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, and the Australian Fair Pay Commission. The agency enforces the Fair Work Act 2009 across all Australian states and territories, administering the National Employment Standards and providing guidance on more than 120 modern awards. Its statutory remit spans compliance, education, advice, and enforcement, with powers to issue Compliance Notices, accept Enforceable Undertakings, levy infringement notices, and commence court proceedings.

The FWO operates an integrated digital service platform anchored by fairwork.gov.au and supported by regional offices in every Australian capital city. Core products include the Pay and Conditions Tool, Leave Calculator, Find My Award Tool, Workplace Basics Quiz, Record My Hours mobile application, an Online Learning Centre, a searchable legal Library, downloadable Templates, and the authenticated My Account Portal. The platform is available in 44 languages via Microsoft Translator and supports multi-factor authentication. Distribution is multimodal: a national Infoline (13 13 94), Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS), National Relay Service for accessibility, anonymous online reporting, media releases, webinars, and direct education programs. Leadership comprises Chief Counsel Rachel Volzke, Chief Operating Officer Michael Campbell, and Chief Information Officer Rebecca Giumelli. The agency maintains a workforce of 501-1,000 employees.

As a government agency, the FWO does not operate a commercial revenue model — all advisory, educational, and self-service products are provided free of charge to employers and employees. Operating funding flows from Australian Government appropriations. Recent enforcement outcomes in 2025-26 illustrate the scale of its mandate: more than $30 million recovered for underpaid workers, including an $11 million Enforceable Undertaking with the University of Queensland affecting 16,382 staff, $5.3 million recovered for approximately 3,600 aged care workers across 13 non-compliant businesses, and 358 infringement notices issued for unlawful job advertisements totalling over $317,000 in fines since the 2023 ban on sub-minimum-wage job ads.

Name

The Fair Work Ombudsman

Legal name

The Fair Work Ombudsman

Website

https://fairwork.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Fair Work Ombudsman is the Australian Commonwealth statutory agency established in 2009 that regulates workplace relations nationwide under the Fair Work Act 2009, providing free compliance advice, digital tools, and enforcement services to all Australian employers and employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workplace Relations Regulation

NAICS

Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs) (92313), Executive and Legislative Offices, Combined (921140)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor, Employment Standards & Occupational Licensing Boards (BPAIAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Contractor Compliance & Classification (IC vs Employee) (BPACAGAA), Workforce Compliance & Employment Law Risk Management (Local Labor Law, Tax, Statutory) (BPACAHAH), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Workplace relations regulation
• Employment compliance services
• Minimum wage enforcement
• Award entitlement advisory
• Labour law oversight

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Fair Work Ombudsman is the Australian Government statutory agency that promotes and enforces compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009 and related workplace laws. As an independent office within the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio, it provides free advice, education, investigations, and litigation services to both employers and employees on minimum wages, awards, leave entitlements, and workplace conditions. It handles anonymous reports, conducts workplace audits, and can pursue enforceable undertakings or court action against non-compliant employers.

Product overview

The Fair Work Ombudsman operates a self-service information platform consisting of a public website and authenticated portal. The core offering is the suite of online tools — the Pay and Conditions Tool, Leave Calculator, Find My Award Tool, and Workplace Basics Quiz — which together enable users to determine applicable minimum wages, leave entitlements, and award coverage. Supporting resources include downloadable Templates, Pay Guides, a Library of legal guidance articles, and an Online Learning Centre with structured courses. The My Account Portal provides authenticated access for submitting enquiries, bookmarking content, and receiving personalised updates. A Record My Hours mobile app is available for workers to track their working time. An automatic translation service (powered by Microsoft Translator) makes the platform accessible in 44 languages. The portfolio functions as an integrated government information and compliance-assistance ecosystem rather than a commercial product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pay and Conditions Calculator Free online tool that helps Australian employers and employees calculate correct pay rates, allowances, and penalty rates based on applicable awards and the Fair Work Act 2009.
• Leave Calculator Free online tool that helps users calculate annual leave, personal leave, long service leave, and other leave entitlements under the National Employment Standards.
• Find My Award Free online search tool that helps employers and employees identify which modern award covers their role and industry.
• Record My Hours App Free mobile application that enables employees to record their hours worked to support wage and entitlement claims under the Fair Work Act 2009.
• Anonymous Report function Confidential reporting function within the My Account portal that allows individuals to notify the Fair Work Ombudsman of suspected workplace law breaches without revealing their identity.
• Online Learning Centre Free online platform providing educational courses, webinars, and resources to help employers understand and comply with Australian workplace laws.
• Workplace Compliance Advice and Enforcement Core statutory service providing free advice, workplace audits, investigations, enforceable undertakings, and litigation to ensure compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009, available to both employers and employees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $30 million in worker underpayments recovered across multiple enforcement actions in 2025-2026
• +4 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Labour Program, Employment and Social Development Canada: Federal Canadian authority administering the Employment Standards Program and investigating workplace complaints. Comparable in national scope, federal enforcement powers, and focus on minimum standards compliance.
• Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service): The UK statutory body providing free, impartial advice on workplace rights, employment law, and dispute resolution. Acas is the closest international analog to FWO in combining advisory, education, and early-conciliation functions under a national mandate.
• Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA): UK regulator tackling labour exploitation and worker rights violations in labour supply chains, mirroring FWO's enforcement focus on labour hire, horticulture, and migrant worker protection (e.g., Operation Flint, Korserv, Four Seasons Workforce).
• Workplace Relations Commission (Ireland): Ireland's statutory body handling employment rights compliance, inspections, and dispute resolution under a single national framework. Its combination of adjudication, inspection, and advisory services parallels FWO's integrated regulatory role.
• Employment New Zealand (MBIE Labour Inspectorate): New Zealand's employment regulator within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, responsible for enforcing minimum employment standards and investigating breaches — closely comparable to FWO's mandate and enforcement model.

Others

• Safe Work Australia: Australia's national workplace health and safety policy agency. Operates in a parallel regulatory domain (WHS rather than employment standards) and collaborates with FWO on matters involving worker welfare, sham contracting, and labour hire oversight.
• Fair Work Commission (Australia): Australia's national workplace relations tribunal that handles dispute resolution, award variations, and agreement approvals. Operates alongside FWO under the same Fair Work Act and refers enforcement matters to FWO, making it the closest institutional counterpart domestically.
• Australian Human Rights Commission: Australia's national human rights institution with overlapping jurisdiction on workplace discrimination, harassment, and adverse action — areas explicitly within FWO's regulatory scope. Complements FWO's enforcement framework.

Broad incumbents

• Ministry of Manpower (Singapore): Singapore's integrated labour regulator covering employment standards, workplace safety, and foreign worker management. Broader in scope than FWO but shares the combination of advisory, enforcement, and migrant worker oversight functions.
• US Department of Labor - Wage and Hour Division: The US federal agency enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act, including minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping. A much larger incumbent but functionally aligned with FWO's wage theft enforcement and award-rate compliance role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fairwork_gov_au
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FairWorkGovAu
• Facebookfacebook.com/fairwork.gov.au
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/office-of-the-fair-work-ombudsman
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairworkgovau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Fair Work Ombudsman