QWRO Ombudsman’s Overview

1 December 2009

The year in review saw the demand for the services of the Queensland Workplace Rights Office (QWRO) continue to increase with the number of callers to the QWRO Hotline reaching 22628 compared with 19259 for 2007/2008, an increase of 17½%.

Both employers and employees across Queensland utilised the service with

approximately 50% of the callers located in regional Queensland. Approximately 30% of callers were under the age of 25 and employers made 16% or approximately 3620 of the calls to the Hotline.

With serious consideration being given by the State to the referral of the remainder of private sector industrial relations to the Commonwealth, it is important to reflect on the possible effects on Queensland workers and businesses.