Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations is an Australian government department formed on 1 July 2022.
History
The department was formed by way of an Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 1 June 2022. It split the preceding Department of Education, Skills and Employment into the newly formed Department of Education and Department of Employment and Workplace RelationsPreceding departments
- Department of Labor and Immigration
- Department of Employment and Industrial Relations
- Department of Employment and Youth Affairs
- Department of Employment and Industrial Relations
- Department of Employment, Education and Training
- Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs
- Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
- Department of Employment
- Department of Jobs and Small Business
- Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business
- Department of Education, Skills and Employment
Operational activities
In an Administrative Arrangements Order made on 13 May 2025, the functions of the department were broadly classified into the following matters:- Employment policy, including employment services
- Labour market programmes for people of working age
- Co-ordination of labour market research
- Equal employment opportunity
- Work and family programmes
- Participation, activity test and compliance policy for participation payment recipients
- Work health and safety, rehabilitation and compensation
- Workplace relations policy development, advocacy and implementation
- Skills and vocational education policy regulation and programmes, including vocational education and training in schools
- Training, including apprenticeships and training and skills assessment services
- Training transitions policy and programmes
- Foundation skills for adults
- Careers policy and advice