Australian tribunal overwhelmed: AI assistants doubled case flow

Australia's Fair Work Commission has announced a critical increase in workload — 70% over the past three years. One of the main reasons: the widespread proliferation of generative AI tools that help people draft lawsuits.

The Scale of the Problem

Fair Work Commission handles cases involving unfair dismissal, wage disputes, discrimination, harassment, and sexual harassment at work. Over three years, the volume of complaints has grown so much that the commission has announced the need to review its processes. The tribunal faces a situation where generative AI has helped people articulate their grievances better, but simultaneously has lowered the barrier to filing lawsuits.

• 70% increase in workload over three years
• Main types of cases: unfair dismissal, wage disputes, discrimination, harassment
• AI is used to prepare and format lawsuits

How AI Changed the Process

Previously, preparing a lawsuit required legal knowledge or lawyer consultation. Now ChatGPT and similar tools allow people to independently describe the problem, structure events, and identify violations. AI helps formulate grievances, adds legal terminology, and prepares a compelling document. This has genuinely improved the quality of filings — lawsuits have become clearer and more well-reasoned. But simultaneously, the barrier to entry has lowered: people no longer need to understand the intricacies or pay a lawyer.

"AI tools have significantly eased the process of preparing lawsuits

for workers," the commission stated.

What's Next

Fair Work Commission has begun reviewing its processes. It will likely consider filtering out clearly unfounded lawsuits at the initial stage, expanding staff, and implementing its own AI tools to sort cases by urgency and complexity. The commission has not yet announced specific measures, but it is clear that the system must adapt to the new reality in the coming years.

What This Means

AI doesn't just help people with their complaints — it changes the burden on the entire judicial and administrative system. This concerns not just Australia: as generative AI spreads, official bodies worldwide will face a similar problem: increasing complaints, the need to scale up operations, and the implementation of AI in case filtering and processing systems.