Do you understand the laws in regards to having students or graduates doing work experience in your practice? Many members will remember it was common practice to undertake a period of unpaid work experience to kick start their careers. This was an acceptable practice by law and perhaps a cultural norm. Now however there are very clear laws prohibiting this practice unless under Federal Fair Work Legislation. Unpaid work experience can only be undertaken for periods of approximately two weeks and the work undertaken should not lead to a commercial benefit to the practice. An exception to the legislation is where the work experience is conducted as part of a tertiary course of study prescribed within an Australian University course e.g. Adelaide University’s Internship program.

It is recognised that work experience provides valuable learning opportunities, however it is important that when any student or graduate is engaged for work experience, careful consideration is given to the legislation and any agreement is clearly documented to protect both parties. It is my belief that our members take these responsibilities seriously, however I can say that in my role as State Manager, I have received complaints of alleged exploitation of younger members. As our members continue to show integrity in their arrangements with anyone on work experience, they avoid both the risk of litigation and bringing the profession into disrepute as well as creating important opportunities to grow emerging talent and strengthen the profession.

Further information about the legislation governing work experience can be found here. I encourage any member who may be unsure about their work experience arrangements to contact Fair Work Australia. I also remind you that any of our members who are employed within an A+ Practice are also entitled to free HR Helpdesk support, which is available here.

– Richard Hosking, SA Chapter Manager