The Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales is one of the oldest continuing industrial tribunals in the world. It traces its origins to the Industrial Arbitration Act 1901 and first sat as the Court of Arbitration of NSW on 30 April 1902, with its first substantive hearing held in Newcastle on 19 May 1902 over a dispute about the engagement of labour on the Newcastle wharves. The current Commission was established under the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) and took effect on 2 September 1996. Today the IRC conciliates and arbitrates industrial disputes, sets conditions of employment, fixes wages and salaries by making industrial awards, approves enterprise agreements, and decides claims of unfair dismissal for the NSW public sector and local government. The daily NSW Industrial Relations Commission court list on this page reflects that ongoing work.
What the Industrial Relations Commission Does
The IRC exercises two distinct types of power. When it acts as a tribunal using its non-judicial powers, it is known as the Industrial Relations Commission. When it exercises judicial powers, it sits as the Commission in Court Session and is called the Industrial Court of New South Wales. Understanding this split helps parties work out where a matter belongs before checking the IRC daily law list.
The Commission: conciliation and arbitration
In its tribunal role, the Commission resolves industrial disputes primarily through conciliation, where a neutral member helps the parties reach agreement, and through arbitration, where a member hears the evidence and makes a binding decision. Its core work includes making and varying awards for public sector and local council employees, approving enterprise agreements, hearing unfair dismissal applications, dealing with unfair contracts and victimisation claims, resolving disputes over owner-driver contracts of carriage, and hearing disciplinary appeals. Since 2024 the Commission has also carried a workplace conduct jurisdiction, including the power to make stop bullying and stop sexual harassment orders.
The Industrial Court of NSW: judicial functions
The Industrial Court is a superior court of record with status equivalent to the Supreme Court and the Land and Environment Court. It was revived by the Industrial Relations Amendment Act 2023 (NSW) and recommenced operation on 1 July 2024. The Court hears criminal prosecutions under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW), other than Category 1 offences against an individual, along with proceedings for breaches of civil penalty provisions. Its work health and safety jurisdiction is not limited to public sector workplaces, which means WHS prosecutions across many NSW industries can appear on the IRC hearing list.
NSW IRC Caseload and Key Statistics
Filings at the IRC have grown sharply since the Industrial Court was re-established. The figures below show why the daily hearing list is often busy, especially with matters involving large public sector unions and NSW government agencies.
- In 2024 the Commission finalised 671 matters, while the Court finalised 5 civil and 59 criminal matters, for a combined total of 735 matters.
- In 2025 those figures rose to 845 Commission matters, plus 39 civil and 28 criminal Court matters, a total of 912 matters and an increase of about 24.1 per cent year on year.
- The monthly average climbed from around 61 matters in 2024 to about 76 matters in 2025.
- The IRC Annual Report for 2024 recorded a 36 per cent increase in total filings in the first six months after the Court's re-establishment.
- Around 84 per cent of matters were resolved through conciliation, the Commission's primary statutory function.
- 145 work health and safety matters were filed in the first six months of the revived jurisdiction.
These numbers explain why the IRC court schedule frequently features a mix of conciliation conferences, arbitration hearings, directions and Full Bench matters listed on the same day.
Who the IRC Covers
The Commission's jurisdiction is centred on NSW public sector and local government employees. Private sector workers moved into the national system administered by the Fair Work Commission after the Industrial Relations (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2009 (NSW) referred those powers to the Commonwealth, with the transfer taking effect from 1 January 2010. Local government employees were brought back into the State industrial relations system from 1 January 2023, a change that has contributed to more unfair dismissal applications and new State awards appearing before the Commission. If you work for a sole trader, a partnership or a private corporation, your matter will usually sit with the Fair Work Commission rather than the IRC.
When the Commission sits as the Industrial Court of NSW, its judgments carry the weight of a superior court, and questions of law can travel from there to the Court of Appeal. Prosecutions and civil penalty matters on the industrial court list follow a different path to the conciliation conferences run by the tribunal side. If your notice names the Industrial Court rather than the Commission, expect a mention or directions hearing first, not immediate arbitration.
Members of the Commission
The Commission is made up of Presidential Members, Acting Justices and Commissioners who bring backgrounds in law, industrial relations and economics. Following a private ceremony on 1 July 2024, the Hon. Justice Ingmar Taylor was sworn in as President of the Industrial Relations Commission and a Justice of the Industrial Court. The Hon. Justice David Chin serves as Vice President and the Hon. Justice Jane Paingakulam as Deputy President. The bench has continued to expand, with Deputy President Janet McDonald sworn in on 1 July 2026 to help lead the Commission's new workplace conduct jurisdiction, alongside additional Commissioners appointed through 2025 and 2026. The name of the presiding member appears next to each matter on the court list, which helps practitioners prepare for the requirements of the member hearing their case.
How to Read the NSW IRC Court List
The official court list is a schedule of matters to be heard before the Commission and the Industrial Court on the next business day. It is published on the Commission's website in the afternoon and updated to record changes. Because the IRC operates across two primary locations, at Bridge Street in Sydney and Smith Street in Parramatta, checking the location of your listing is essential before you travel.
Each entry on the NSW IRC daily law list usually shows:
- the matter or party names, often abbreviated for privacy on third party listings;
- the hearing room and level;
- the scheduled time;
- the presiding member; and
- the type of listing, such as conciliation, directions, hearing or judgment.
The type of listing is one of the most useful fields, because it tells you the purpose of the appearance and how to prepare. The interactive court list on the NSW Online Registry lets you search by case name, case number, location, date, jurisdiction, title of the presiding officer and listing type. You can view matters listed up to two weeks ahead and listings from the previous seven days, and the online list refreshes several times a day. The free Search NSW Court Lists app for Apple iOS and Google Android also carries IRC listings: select Industrial Court and Industrial Relations Commission, then choose your date.
IRC Locations and Registry
The Commission's principal registry operates from two street addresses, and material should be filed at the location where the matter is listed.
- Sydney: Chief Secretary's Building, Level 1, 47 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
- Parramatta: Level 9, 10-14 Smith Street, Parramatta NSW 2150.
- Postal address: PO Box 927, Parramatta NSW 2124.
- Registry telephone: 02 8688 3516.
From 2 April 2026, all lists conducted by the Registrar are held in person in Courtroom 1.1 at 47 Bridge Street, Sydney. The Commission also sits in the Hunter region, hearing matters at the Newcastle Local Court at 343 Hunter Street on a regular fortnightly basis, reflecting its long association with the area dating back to that first hearing in 1902.
How a Matter Moves Through the IRC
Most disputes begin with a notification or application lodged through the NSW Online Registry. A civil matter is usually referred first to conciliation, and only timetabled for a hearing, also called an arbitration, if the parties cannot resolve the issues in dispute. A criminal matter under the WHS Act moves through several steps, such as a mention or directions hearing, before it is set down for a final hearing. Hearings are open to the public, and anyone may attend to observe, because open justice is a core principle of the Commission. Exceptional circumstances are required for a closed court. The names of parties, the facts and the reasons for decision are generally published online unless a non-disclosure order is made under section 164A of the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW).
Recent Changes to the IRC, 2024 to 2026
The Commission has changed significantly over a short period. The revival of the Industrial Court on 1 July 2024 restored a dedicated judicial arm for work health and safety and industrial prosecutions. New stop bullying and stop sexual harassment powers were added, and from 1 July 2026 the IRC took on expanded workers compensation functions, including determining whether conduct said to have caused a psychological injury amounted to bullying or harassment. The bench was strengthened with a new Deputy President and additional Commissioners appointed progressively through 2026 to meet rising demand. For anyone tracking the NSW Industrial Relations Commission court list, these reforms mean a wider variety of matters, from award reviews to WHS prosecutions and workplace conduct orders, now appear on the daily schedule.
Practitioners with a matter in the Hunter often check more than one list on the same trip. The Commission's fortnightly Newcastle sittings share the building used for the Newcastle local court list, so confirm which jurisdiction your listing sits under before you arrive. Award and public sector disputes stay with the IRC, while planning and environmental appeals go to the land and environment court list in Sydney. For higher appeals on a point of law, the Supreme Court is the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Industrial Relations Commission and the Industrial Court of NSW?
They are the same body exercising different powers. Acting as a tribunal with non-judicial powers, it is the Industrial Relations Commission and handles conciliation, arbitration, awards and enterprise agreements. Sitting in Court Session with judicial powers, it is the Industrial Court of NSW, a superior court of record that hears WHS prosecutions and civil penalty matters.
Does the IRC cover private sector employees?
Generally no. Since 1 January 2010, private sector employees in NSW have fallen under the national system and the Fair Work Commission. The IRC's jurisdiction covers NSW public sector and local government employees, with local government returning to the State system from 1 January 2023.
When is the NSW IRC court list published?
The official list for the next business day is posted on the Commission's website in the afternoon and updated as changes occur. The interactive list on the NSW Online Registry is refreshed several times a day and shows matters up to two weeks ahead.
Where does the Industrial Relations Commission sit?
The Commission sits primarily at 47 Bridge Street, Sydney and 10-14 Smith Street, Parramatta, and also holds regular fortnightly sittings at the Newcastle Local Court. Always confirm the location shown against your specific listing.
Are IRC hearings open to the public?
Yes. Hearings are open to the public and anyone can attend to observe, unless a closed court or non-disclosure order is made in exceptional circumstances. Party names and reasons for decision are usually published online.
How many matters does the IRC hear each year?
In 2025 the Commission and Court finalised 912 matters combined, up about 24.1 per cent on the 735 matters finalised in 2024. That equates to a rise from roughly 61 to 76 matters each month.