Starting a court case

Most cases for recovery of wages and entitlements are started in the Federal Circuit Court. Cases that are more complex may be started in the Federal Court.

 You may be able to start a case to recover unpaid wages or entitlements in some NSW courts, such as the Chief Industrial Magistrate's Court or the Local Court. This website only has information about the process in the Federal Circuit Court.

The Federal Circuit Court

The Federal Circuit Court can hear claims for unpaid wages and entitlements made by national system employees. Cases heard in the Federal Circuit Court for recovery of wages and unpaid entitlements totalling $20 000 or less can use a small claims procedure.  The small claims procedure allows cases to be heard with less formality.

For more information, see Going to the Federal Circuit Court.

The Federal Court

The Federal Court can also hear claims for unpaid wages and entitlements made by national system employees. Unlike in the Federal Circuit Court, the Federal Court does not use the small claims procedure. Fees in the Federal Court are generally higher than fees in the Federal Circuit Court.

This website does not have information about claims for unpaid wages and entitlements in the Federal Court. If you want to start a case in the Federal Court, you should get legal advice.