Glossary & Acronyms

Carer's leave is time off from work, which can be paid or unpaid, that employees use to care for a family or household member who is sick or injured.

A casual employee has no firm advance commitment to continuing, indefinite work and is paid a casual loading or casual rate of pay.

A Fair Work Ombudsman document employers must give casual employees at the start and at set times, explaining their rights.

Casual loading is an extra amount of money casual employees get paid in addition to their normal hourly wage.

Classification is how a job role is described in an award or agreement, focusing on what the job involves, the responsibilities and qualifications.

The Closing Loopholes Act refers to a set of laws that brought changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 and other workplace legislation.

Coercion means forcing someone to act or not act by using intimidation, threats, or physical force.

'Commission only' means an employee is paid solely based on what they sell, without a fixed salary.

Community service leave is time off from work for activities like jury duty or volunteering in emergency services.

Compassionate leave is time off work when a close family member or someone in your household is very sick or has died. It's also called bereavement leave.

A Constitutional Corporation is a trading or financial company, either based in Australia or overseas, often identified by 'Pty Ltd' or 'Ltd' in its name.

A constitutionally covered business can be a company like a Pty Ltd, or any business involved in trading or financial activities within the Commonwealth.

Constructive dismissal is a situation where an employee resigns due to their employer's behaviour or actions, which effectively force the employee to quit.

Continuous service is the uninterrupted duration of employment an employee has with a single employer.

A contravention is when there is a failure to adhere to the requirements set out in the Fair Work Act 2009, awards, or registered agreements.

A coverage clause is a section within an award or registered agreement that specifies the employees and employers it applies to.