The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) is a federal government department. We operate under the Fair Work Act 2009, which establishes Australia’s minimum employment standards to ensure safe, secure and fair work conditions. Our core business includes fostering a productive and competitive labour market, facilitating job growth, stewardship of Australia’s skills system, and delivering workplace relations reforms.
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Secure jobs are vital for our nation to prosper— driving future economic growth and providing people with certainty. During fast-paced social, economic and global changes, we focus on equipping Australians who are starting, advancing or changing their careers with the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to secure employment.
Our skills and training programs help people develop the skills they need for the jobs of today, tomorrow and beyond to drive productivity and economic prosperity. We work with stakeholders to build strong sustainable skills and training systems to enable Australians to skill and reskill in response to changing technologies and workforce needs.
We deliver and support national policies and programs that help Australians find and keep a job, change jobs or generate their own income through self-employment. We foster a productive and competitive labour market by helping people into secure work and increasing workforce participation.
Our work helps protect workers’ entitlements and supports local, safe and secure employment underpinned by a safety net of minimum terms and conditions, pay and workplace rights and responsibilities that engender confidence in both employers and employees. Our policies and programs promote fair, productive and safe workplaces.
We are committed to implementing the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, working in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations to foster self-determination and help build and sustain economic prosperity for First Nations peoples.
We administer policies and programs that directly impact on 7 of the 17 outcome areas of the National Agreement ensuring systemic and structural transformation as part of our commitment to Closing the Gap Priority Reforms—including Priority Reform Three which focuses on transforming government organisations. Through the guiding principles of ‘engage, embrace and evolve’, we help to overcome the inequality faced by First Nations peoples. Through training, and safe and secure employment outcomes, we are reforming the way we support First Nations self-determination.
Our workforce is nationally dispersed with offices and staff located in every state and territory, both in metropolitan and regional areas. We have staff working remotely and internationally. As of 30 June 2025, DEWR employed 4,454 Australian Public Servants, with 113 people (or 2.5 per cent) identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. 52 per cent of our First Nations staff work outside the ACT. Across our geographical footprint, we aim to tread lightly and engage respectfully with First Nations peoples and Countries where we live, work and play.
