Statutory Review of casual employment legislation

Date opened
Date closed

Overview

The Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Act 2021 (Cth) made amendments to casual employment arrangements. It included a requirement that a review of the operation of the legislative amendments must occur as soon as practicable 12 months after commencement, and that it be completed within 6 months. 

In line with these requirements, an independent review, undertaken by KPMG, commenced on 11 April 2022 and the report was provided to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations on 11 October 2022.

Terms of Reference

Under the legislation, the review was required to:

  • consider whether the operation of the amendments made is appropriate and effective in the context of Australia's changing employment and economic conditions
  • identify unintended consequences
  • consider whether any legislative change is necessary to improve the operation of the amendments.

Final report

The report on the review was tabled before the Australian Parliament on 1 December 2022. 

Read the independent review report

Government response

The Government published a response to the review on 15 December 2022.

Read the Government response

Further materials 

As part of the review, the Government commissioned data analysis by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Behavioural Economics Team (BETA) of the Australian Government in PM&C. These were provided to KPMG as part of the Review. Copies of these reports are available. 

Stakeholder participation 

The review provided an opportunity for stakeholders to share their experiences of how the amendments are operating through one of the following methods: 

  • virtual consultations 
  • in person consultations  
  • written submissions