The Fair Work Information Statement (FWIS) is a free document from the Fair Work Ombudsman that explains an employee's basic rights at work, and every new employee must get it 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 where to download the current versions, when the casual statement has to be given again, how you're allowed to hand them over, what happens if you don't, 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.
Where to download the current Fair Work Information Statement
Get the statements straight from the Fair Work Ombudsman. Don't use a copy from a template site or an old onboarding pack.
| Statement | Where to get it | Current version (as at October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Work Information Statement | Fair Work Information Statement page (PDF) | Marked "Last updated: July 2026" |
| Casual Employment Information Statement | Casual Employment Information Statement page | Check the date on the page before sending |
| Fixed Term Contract Information Statement | Fixed Term Contract Information Statement page | Check the date on the page before sending |
The Fair Work Ombudsman updates the statements periodically, usually when the law or minimum wages change. The FWIS PDF was last updated in July 2026, after the annual wage review took effect on 1 July 2026. The law requires you to give the version that's current when you give it, so a "Fair Work Information Statement 2026" PDF saved to your drive is only safe until the next update.
Translated versions of the FWIS are on the translated Fair Work Information Statement page if English isn't your new starter's first language.
What is in the Fair Work Information Statement?
The FWIS is a short summary of an employee's basic rights. 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.
The leave entitlements it summarises are where most of the later paperwork comes from, such as a leave application form for each request or a signed agreement to cash out annual leave.
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.
The Casual Employment Information Statement
Every new casual gets the Casual Employment Information Statement (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. Each time, give the version that's current on the Fair Work Ombudsman website on that date.
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.
The Fixed Term Contract Information Statement
Since 6 December 2023, every employee engaged on a new fixed term contract must get the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement (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). It's in addition to the FWIS, not instead of it.
When do you have to give each statement?
| Statement | When |
|---|---|
| Fair Work Information Statement | Before the employee starts, or as soon as possible after |
| Casual Employment Information Statement | With the FWIS, then again at the repeat dates above |
| Fixed Term Contract Information Statement | When the employee enters a new fixed term contract, or as soon as possible after |
Sending the statements with the offer letter or as part of pre-start onboarding is the cleanest way to meet all three deadlines.
How can you give the statements: email, link or hard copy
You don't need to print anything. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, you can give the FWIS and the CEIS:
- in person (a hard copy)
- by mail
- by email, with the statement attached
- 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
Emailing a link to the Fair Work Ombudsman page has one real advantage: it always points to the current version. If you attach a PDF instead, you're responsible for making sure it's the latest one.
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.
Keep your onboarding pack current
Because the statements change, old copies are a common problem. They tend to hide in three places:
- the welcome email template
- the shared drive folder called "New starter pack"
- the printed bundle in the site office
Check your pack each July (when minimum wages change) and whenever the Fair Work Ombudsman announces an update, and swap out the old file. Or link to the official page and skip the problem.
What happens if you don't give the statements?
The duty to give the FWIS and the CEIS sits in the National Employment Standards in the Fair Work Act 2009, and the fixed term statement is also required by the Act. If you don't give them, the Fair Work Ombudsman can take compliance action, and contraventions can attract civil penalties ordered by a court. Penalty amounts are set in penalty units and change over time, so check the Fair Work Ombudsman's current guidance rather than a figure quoted in an old article.
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.
Record keeping: how to prove you gave it
The law requires you to give the statements, not to get them signed. But if the Fair Work Ombudsman asks, you'll need to show what you gave, to whom and when. A good record shows:
- which statement and which version (for example, the FWIS last updated July 2026)
- the date it was given
- how it was given (email, link, in person)
- an acknowledgement from the employee, such as a ticked box or e-signature with a timestamp
- for fixed term staff, their agreement to receive the statement electronically
Keep it with the employee file, not in someone's sent items. The Fair Work Ombudsman's record-keeping guidance says employee records generally have to be kept for 7 years, so keeping your statement records for the same period is a sensible default.
A simple process that works every time
- Set the employment type before you send anything. Full-time, part-time, casual or fixed term decides which statements apply.
- Send the statements with pre-start onboarding. Put them in the same flow as the contract, the TFN declaration form and the super choice form, so they go out before day one.
- Ask for an acknowledgement. A tick box or e-signature with a timestamp is your proof.
- Get consent for the fixed term statement if you're sending it electronically.
- Schedule the CEIS repeats for casuals (12 months for small business; 6 months, 12 months and every 12 months after for everyone else).
- 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.
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 and PDF; Fair Work Ombudsman, Casual Employment Information Statement; Fair Work Ombudsman, Fixed Term Contract Information Statement; Fair Work Ombudsman, Record-keeping and pay slips.
