Get help with work rights
What help can Legal Aid WA give?
Our Civil Law Division may be able to give you legal advice and assistance.
Our Federal Court service for self-represented litigants may be able to assist if you have already been through a conciliation, hearing or other process at the Fair Work Commission or the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Grants of aid are normally not available for these types of cases.
Contact us
Call the Infoline or Legal Yarn (for First Nations callers) or contact your nearest Legal Aid WA office to find out what help we can give for your situation. If we can’t help, we may be able to refer you to someone else who can.
Please let us know if you need an interpreter.
Where else can I get help?
- Call on (08) 6148 3636 or you can make a request for legal help online.
This is a partnership between Women’s Legal Service and Circle Green Community Legal.
It provides free, confidential and independent legal advice and psychosocial support on issues relating to work. This includes workplace entitlements and rights, gender issues, cultural diversity, discrimination, and sexual harassment.
You can seek an online referral on their website.
Your union
- If you are a union member contact your union for legal advice.
Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (Labour Relations)
- Call Wageline on 1300 655 266 for queries about:
- pay rates, leave entitlements and other employment arrangements in unincorporated businesses in WA such as sole traders and partnerships (that is, not Pty Ltd businesses)
- long service leave for employees working in WA
- laws on when and where children under 15 can work in WA.
Department of Employment (Cth)
- Call 13 33 97 or visit its website for information including your rights if you been made redundant.
Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO)
- Call 13 13 94, for information including for unfair dismissal and self help tools on pay, leave, entitlements, ending employment, awards and agreements, and how the FWO can help.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may be able to get help to navigate workplace rights at this link on the FWO website.
Fair Work Commission (FWC)
- Help Line on 1300 799 675. You can access the FWC Unfair dismissal benchbook online . This benchbook has been prepared by the FWC to help parties lodging or responding to an unfair dismissal applications under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
- Click here to see a FWC Mock Unfair Dismissal Hearing and other videos to help you prepare and represent yourself at the FWC on YouTube.
- The FWC Anti-bullying benchbook can also be downloaded from its website.
Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission
- https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (08) 9420 4444 or 1800 624 263 (country callers). It has an online guide on unfair dismissals.
Please note that the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission and the Fair Work Commission cannot give legal advice.
Australian Human Rights Commission
- The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has a complaint handling service that may investigate complaints of discrimination, harassment and bullying. Contact the AHRC on 1300 656 419.
Apprentices
- If you are a WA apprentice contact the WA Department of Training and Workforce Development Apprenticeship Office on 13 19 54 (for callers outside WA call (08) 6551 5499).
WorkCover WA
- WorkCover WA website 1300 794 744 for information about your rights, entitlement and obligations including making a claim if you have been injured at work in WA and resolving a dispute.
Law Society of WA
- Law Society of WA on (08) 9324 8600 can refer you to a lawyer who specialises in employment law.
Termination of employment due to employer’s insolvency or bankruptcy
- If your employment was terminated due to your employer's insolvency or bankruptcy you may be eligible for assistance from the Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) Hotline on 1300 135 040 (9.00am to 5.00pm Canberra time).
Reviewed: 12 October 2022