Introduction
Fair Work Commission Members are the people who deal with most cases. They perform a quasi-judicial role similar to a judge.
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Role of a Member
Commission Members are independent statutory office holders. They perform functions under the Fair Work Act 2009. This includes conducting public hearings and private conferences for both individual and collective matters. They also perform certain functions under the Registered Organisations Act concerning federally registered unions and employer organisations.
Types of Members
There are 3 types of Members of the Fair Work Commission:
- Primary Commission Members including the President, Vice Presidents, Deputy Presidents and Commissioners who are appointed until the age of 65 and are full-time or part-time
- Expert Panel Members who are appointed for a set period of not more than 5 years and are part-time, they are only involved in specific functions
- Members of state industrial tribunals who also hold an appointment with the Commission.
How Members are appointed
Commission Members are appointed by the Governor-General of Australia on the recommendation of the Australian Government of the day.
Current Commission Members come from a diverse range of employment backgrounds including the law, unions and employer associations, human resources and management, and the public service.
What qualifications are required for appointment
The Fair Work Act requires that those appointed to the Commission have appropriate knowledge or experience in relevant fields such as workplace relations, law, business, industry or commerce.
Expert Panel Members must have knowledge or experience in one or more fields specific to the annual wage review panel (that is: workplace relations, economics, social policy, or business, industry or commerce).