Fair Work Information Statement: what to give new starters

Every new employee must get the Fair Work Information Statement (FWIS) before they start, or as soon as possible after. Casuals also get the Casual Employment Information Statement, and anyone on a new fixed term contract also gets the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement.

That's the whole rule in two sentences. The rest of this guide covers which version to use, when the casual statement has to be given again, how you're allowed to hand them over, and how to keep a record that proves you did. It's written for owners and managers who have a new starter on site on Monday and want this sorted in one go.

This is general information, not legal advice. Facts are as at October 2026; check the Fair Work Ombudsman's information statements page for the current versions before you send anything.

What is the Fair Work Information Statement?

The Fair Work Information Statement is a short document published by the Fair Work Ombudsman that tells a new employee their basic rights at work. It covers:

• the National Employment Standards (leave, maximum hours, notice, redundancy and so on)
• the right to request flexible working arrangements
• modern awards and enterprise agreements
• individual flexibility arrangements
• freedom of association and workplace rights
• termination of employment
• right of entry
• what the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Commission do

You don't write it and you can't edit it. You give the employee the official version from the Fair Work Information Statement page. Translated versions are also available there if English isn't your new starter's first language.

Which statement does each new starter get?

There are three information statements. The FWIS goes to everyone. The other two depend on the type of employment.

Employment type	Fair Work Information Statement	Casual Employment Information Statement	Fixed Term Contract Information Statement
Full-time	Yes	No	No
Part-time	Yes	No	No
Casual	Yes	Yes	No
Fixed term contract (full-time or part-time)	Yes	No	Yes

A few practical notes:

• The employer gives the statement. In labour hire, that's the labour hire business that employs the worker, not the host business they're placed with.
• Apprentices and trainees are employees, so they get the FWIS too, plus whichever other statement matches how they're engaged.
• Every new fixed term contract counts. If you put an existing employee on a new fixed term contract, give them the fixed term statement for that contract.

When do you have to give each statement?

Fair Work Information Statement

Give it before the employee starts, or as soon as possible after they start. Sending it with the offer letter or as part of pre-start onboarding is the cleanest way to meet this.

Casual Employment Information Statement

Every new casual gets the CEIS at the same time as the FWIS. Unlike the other two statements, the casual statement isn't a one-off. You give it again during the employment:

Employer size	When to give the CEIS again
Small business (fewer than 15 employees)	After the casual's first 12 months of employment
Not a small business (15 or more employees)	After 6 months, after 12 months, and then after every further 12 months

The repeat timing exists because the CEIS explains how a casual can move to permanent employment (the "employee choice" pathway) and when they can notify you that they want to. The current version is on the Casual Employment Information Statement page.

The repeat dates are the part most businesses miss. A casual who started in March needs another copy in September if you have 15 or more employees, and nobody remembers that without a reminder.

Fixed Term Contract Information Statement

Since 6 December 2023, every employee engaged on a new fixed term contract must get the FTCIS when they enter the contract, or as soon as possible after. The statement explains the limits on fixed term contracts (generally no longer than two years in total, including extensions, with some exceptions). You'll find it on the Fair Work Ombudsman's information statements page.

How can you give the statements?

You don't need to print anything. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, you can give the FWIS and the CEIS:

• in person
• by mail
• by email
• by emailing a link to the statement on the Fair Work Ombudsman website
• by emailing a link to a copy on your own intranet
• by fax or another method

The fixed term statement has one extra condition: you can give it in person or by mail to the employee's home address, and you can only send it electronically (email or a link) if the employee agrees. If you onboard fixed term staff digitally, get that agreement in writing as part of the process.

Whichever method you use, the burden is on you to show the employee received the right statement at the right time. "We have a link on the intranet" won't help much if you can't show the person was sent it.

Which version is current?

The Fair Work Ombudsman updates the statements when the law or minimum wages change. As at October 2026, the FWIS PDF on fairwork.gov.au is marked "Last updated: July 2026", after the 1 July 2026 annual wage review.

That's why linking to the Fair Work Ombudsman page is safer than attaching a PDF you downloaded two years ago. If you do attach a copy, check your onboarding pack each July (when minimum wages change) and whenever the Fair Work Ombudsman announces an update, and swap out the old file.

Old copies tend to hide in three places:

1. the welcome email template
2. the shared drive folder called "New starter pack"
3. the printed bundle in the site office

What happens if you don't give the statements?

Giving the information statements is an obligation under the Fair Work Act 2009. If you don't, the Fair Work Ombudsman can take compliance action, and breaches of the Act's employment obligations can attract civil penalties.

The bigger risk is usually indirect. A missing FWIS often turns up during an investigation into something else, like underpayment or an unfair dismissal claim, and it signals that onboarding wasn't done properly. For casuals, failing to give the CEIS at the required times can feed into disputes about the employee choice pathway to permanent employment.

The fix is simple and cheap: send the right statements to every new starter, and keep a dated record.

A simple process that works every time

1. Set the employment type before you send anything. Full-time, part-time, casual or fixed term decides which statements apply.
2. Send the statements with pre-start onboarding. Put them in the same flow as the contract, the TFN declaration and the super choice form, so they go out before day one.
3. Ask for an acknowledgement. A tick box or e-signature with a timestamp is your proof.
4. Get consent for the fixed term statement if you're sending it electronically.
5. Schedule the CEIS repeats for casuals (12 months for small business; 6 months, 12 months and every 12 months after for everyone else).
6. Keep the record with the employee file, not in someone's sent items.

For the rest of the new starter list, see our new employee onboarding checklist and the longer employee onboarding guide.

How Canyou handles this

Canyou is employee onboarding software for Australian businesses. You build an onboarding workflow for each role, send one link, and the new starter completes everything on their phone. The information statements slot into that workflow like any other step.

• The right statement for each role. Create a workflow for each position: one for permanent staff with the FWIS, one for casuals with the FWIS and the CEIS, one for fixed term staff with the FWIS and the FTCIS. When you add someone to a position, they get the matching workflow automatically.
• Proof they read it. Use a document task with Require acknowledgement, so the worker has to confirm they've read and understood the statement before they can move on. Or use an electronic signature task if you want a signed copy. Either way, the completion is recorded against the worker with a date.
• Fixed term consent in the same flow. Add a form question that captures the employee's agreement to receive the fixed term statement electronically, right before the statement itself.
• CEIS repeats on autopilot. Schedule a short casual statement workflow on the casual position so it's reassigned after a set number of days, and each run is kept in the worker's flow history.
• Everything else in one link. The same workflow collects ID, the TFN declaration, super choice and stapled super, bank details, licences and contracts, then syncs the new employee into payroll. See how it fits together on the employee onboarding page.

Businesses using Canyou get a new starter through onboarding in about 15 minutes per worker, down from 6–10 hours, with ISO audit-ready records at the end of it.

Try for free (no credit card required), or Book a demo and we'll show you a casual onboarding workflow with the information statements already in it. Plans are on the pricing page.

Sources (accessed October 2026): Fair Work Ombudsman, Information statements; Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Information Statement; Fair Work Ombudsman, Casual Employment Information Statement; Fair Work Ombudsman, Fixed Term Contract Information Statement.