While studying in Australia, you may get a casual job. There have been some recent changes to casual employment that may affect you. These changes took effect from 27 March 2021.
What are the changes?
The changes include a:
- Casual Employment Information Statement
- definition of casual employment
- casual conversion – a pathway for casual employees to move to full-time or part-time (permanent) employment.
Casual Employment Information Statement
Employers have to give every new casual employee a Casual Employment Information Statement before, or as soon as possible after, they start their new job.
If you’re an existing casual employee working for a small business employer (those who employ fewer than 15 employees at a particular time), they need to give you a copy of the Casual Employee Information Statement as soon as possible after 27 March 2021. Other employers have to give existing casual employees a copy of the Casual Employee Information Statement as soon as possible after 27 September 2021.
Definition of casual employment
Under the new definition, you’re a casual employee if you accept a job offer from an employer knowing that there is no firm advance commitment to ongoing work with an agreed pattern of work.
Once employed as a casual, you’ll continue to be a casual employee until you either:
- become a permanent employee through:
- casual conversion, or
- are offered and accept the offer of full-time or part-time employment, or
- stop being employed by your employer.
Becoming a permanent employee
The National Employment Standards (NES) have a new entitlement giving casual employees a pathway to become a full-time or part-time (permanent) employee in some circumstances. This is also known as ‘casual conversion’.
More information
For more information about these changes, please visit www.fairwork.gov.au/reforms.
You can also find out more information about your workplace rights and responsibilities at www.fairwork.gov.au/internationalstudents or call 13 13 94 (or 131 450 for the Translating and Interpreting Service).
Free FWO webinar
You are invited to register (and share this invitation) for the FWO’s free webinar designed for employees in the Fast Food, Restaurant and Café’s sector on Thursday 24 June from 2pm to 3pm AEST.
