Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws
We’re here to help you understand your rights and responsibilities at work during the impact of coronavirus.
We encourage employees and employers to work together to find solutions that suit their individual workplaces and circumstances.
Click the links below for more information about your rights and responsibilities.
Check our News and updates section to see what's been updated recently.
Returning to work & the workplace
In this section, you’ll find:
Pay & leave during coronavirus
In this section, you’ll find:
JobKeeper scheme
In this section, you’ll find:
Temporary changes to workplace laws
In this section, you’ll find:
Health & safety in the workplace
In this section, you’ll find:
Alternative working arrangements
In this section, you’ll find:
Stand downs
In this section, you’ll find:
Ending employment & redundancy
In this section, you’ll find:
Other government information & assistance
In this section, you’ll find:
Help in your language during coronavirus
In this section, you’ll find:
In this section, you’ll find:
News and updates
23 September 2020
Fair Work Regulations amended as part of JobKeeper extension
On 19 September 2020, the Fair Work Regulations were amended to support certain parts of the extension of the JobKeeper scheme for legacy employers. The new Regulations relate to:
- the relationship between the 10% decline in turnover test for legacy employers and the actual decline in turnover test for qualifying employers
- how certain employees’ ordinary hours of work are calculated in order for legacy employers to issue a JobKeeper enabling stand down direction.
You can read our updated information at:
21 September 2020
Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment available to some WA and NSW workers
The Australian Government has extended the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment to include eligible workers who live in New South Wales and Western Australia.
People who live in New South Wales and Western Australia are now eligible for the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment if they can’t work because of reasons relating to coronavirus and meet other criteria.
For more information about the payment and how to claim it, visit Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment 
on Services Australia's website.
16 September 2020
Extension of JobKeeper provisions in the Fair Work Act
We’ve added new pages about legacy employers under the extended JobKeeper scheme. Some employers who don’t qualify for JobKeeper payments anymore can continue to use some of the flexibility JobKeeper provisions in the Fair Work Act (with some changes). See:
We've also created a 10% decline in turnover template certificate for legacy employers, with other template documents being published soon. We encourage you to check back regularly for updates.
You can also subscribe to email updates and we’ll let you know when we’ve updated all of our information.
14 September 2020
Financial support announced for Victorian businesses
On 13 September 2020, the Victorian Government announced financial support for Victorian businesses affected by coronavirus. The financial support includes cash grants, deferral of some payroll taxes and waivers for some business fees.
Find out more at the Victorian Government – Business Victoria website .
You can learn more about your workplace rights and obligations if you’ve been affected by restrictions in Victoria at Information for Victorian workplaces.
Previous news and updates
To view a list of previous updates to our website, go to our Previous news and updates page.
About our information
We'll continue to update the information on our website as the situation develops and as needed. The information provided is current as at the time of the last update. It is not legal advice but represents the views of the Fair Work Ombudsman based on the best available information. We encourage you to regularly check this page for more information.