In mid-2011 the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) identified unpaid work in Australia as an emerging issue that warranted its attention. It determined that further research would be of assistance in an area that raised complex legal issues, and in April 2012 commissioned the Adelaide Law School to undertake further research. The report examines three types of unpaid work in Australia: unpaid work experience, unpaid trial work and unpaid internships.