There were many changes to the AIRC Home Page during the year but the highlight was a complete redesign of the site which was unveiled on 17 May 2001. The home page was restructured to enable more effective searching for information and documents and a number of new features were added.

The new features included:

• dedicated pages for the media and students;
• a text-only version of the site as required by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, ensuring that online information and services are accessible by people with disabilities; and
• registered organisations rules, accessible from the ‘Organisations’ section.

The new look AIRC Home Page – www.airc.gov.au.

Other changes over the 12 month period included:

• the use of hypertext links in Commission decisions, awards and orders and the AIR Bulletin to other Commission documents and sections of the Act;
• the loading of ISYS Web software enabling the site to be indexed and to have an extensive and easy to use search facility. The databases that can now be searched include:
  • all Commission decisions from July 2000;
  • Full Bench decisions from December 1997;
  • award simplification decisions and simplified awards;
  • awards and orders from September 2000;
  • transcripts from September 2000; and
  • decision summaries from January 2001;
• the addition of floor maps linked to hearing lists for Melbourne (other States will be added over the next few months) assisting in the access to courts and conference rooms; and
• the provision of a privacy statement as required by the ‘Guidelines for Federal and ACT Government World Wide Web Sites’ issued by the Australian Privacy Commissioner.

Videoconferencing facilities, which were installed in 1998, are now operational in all of Commission/Registry premises with facilities available in the majority of courts and conference rooms.

A new Case Management System (CMS) was introduced in January 2001. It replaces the Case Tracking System.