Application by University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association Inc.
Citation: [2026] FWCA 1861
What happened
The University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association Inc. (the Employer) sought approval for its Enterprise Agreement 2025. The agreement is a single enterprise agreement covering the organisation. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), acting as a bargaining representative, notified their desire for the agreement to cover them. The application was made under section 185 of the Fair Work Act 2009.
What was decided
The Fair Work Commission approved the University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association Inc. Enterprise Agreement 2025. Commissioner Panooulos confirmed that the requirements of sections 186, 187 and 188 of the Fair Work Act were met. The agreement will be effective from July 23, 2026, and expire on July 16, 2029.
What it means for employers
Employers seeking to implement enterprise agreements must ensure they meet all requirements outlined in sections 186, 187, and 188 of the Fair Work Act. This includes proper notification and representation from bargaining representatives like unions.
What it means for employees
Employees covered by the University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association Inc. Enterprise Agreement 2025 will benefit from the terms and conditions outlined in the agreement, which is now legally binding from July 23, 2026.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2026fwca1861.pdfWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. Full-corpus advisor access is a paid product — Business Solo from $99/mo, 50% off your first 3 months for the first 100 signups.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections →