September 2011

Dear Sir / Madam,

Knowing about Australia’s workplace laws is especially important for people of non-English speaking background, where these laws may be different in their home country.

The national Fair Work system covers the majority of workplaces in Australia. It includes laws about the pay and conditions workers are entitled to receive, and how people should expect to be treated at work. The Fair Work system also provides a safety net of ten basic minimum entitlements, called the National Employment Standards (NES),for all workers.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is an independent statutory authority with legislative responsibility toeducate people working in Australia about their workplace rights and obligations.

Translated materials available

To help people better understand the Fair Work system we have a range of in-language materials. These also inform people of non-English speaking background about the FWO, and the tools and resources which are available on our website To reach as many people in your community as possible, I am seeking your support and assistance in spreading the message by publishing the press release and information.

Brochures for your community

Our new brochure Working in Australia – What you need to know details some basic facts about the Fair Work system and how we can help. This brochure has been translated in Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.They are available for downloading from our website.

Watch and share our video

We have also developed a short video which explains the key points of the Fair Work system. It is available for viewing on our YouTube channel The video is presented in 14 languages and I appreciate your support in promoting its availability through your media channel.

Other useful resources

Overleaf is some useful background information, links and resources as well as some suggestions for how you can help us spread this important information.

Our website, has information from the brochure and other translated resources which are available for download. If you would like more copies of the brochure, poster or a DVD compilation of our You Tube videos please email .

I appreciate you sharing this important information with your audience and I thank you for your support.


Yours sincerely,

Leanne Fry

Executive Director, Communications & Solutions
Fair Work Ombudsman

SOME USEFUL BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Background for community organisations

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is committed to informing and educating people from non-English speaking backgrounds about Australia’s Fair Work system, and is presently undertaking an education campaign targeting employees from 12 language groups including Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese. The FWO is especially interested in building community knowledge about pay and conditions, how employees should expect to be treated at work, some useful questions to ask and where to go for advice.

Useful resources

Fair Work Ombudsman:

Fair Work Infoline:Phone 13 13 94. The Infoline is open 8.00 am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday. Call Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) on 13 14 50 if language assistance is required

FWO online tools:There are a number of tools on the FWO website to help find pay rates, penalty rates and to search for modern awards.

Fact sheets (English):

Translated materials:

Fair Work Information Statement:

My Employment Checklist: A useful resource for any worker

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International Students:

Video:Is available in 14 languages and accessible via the FWO YouTube channel at

How you can help

Some ideas appear below on how to distribute and use the brochure, poster and YouTube video resources to help build awareness of Australia’s Fair Work system and employees’ entitlements, pay and conditions among your community and / or members:

  • Highlight the availability of the brochure, videos and other FWO resources in you paper / radio program / internet/ regular mailings and / or emails.
  • Encourage organisations to display the poster and brochure in their public areas and run a special event to view the video

Website linkage

By including the website links above on your website, you will be helping organisations, advisors and your community find the information that’s right for them.

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