Businesses in Sydney’s south and western suburbs will be the latest target of visits from inspectors from the office of the Fair Work Ombudsman as part of an educational program over the next two months.

The inspectors will visit more than 300 businesses over the next two months taking in suburbs including Sutherland, Kingsgrove, Picton, Cabramatta, Yagoona, Miranda, Caringbah and Ingleburn.

Under the program inspectors will doorknock businesses to provide information packs to employers in various industry sectors who are entering the national workplace relations system for the first time.

This follows educational visits to 370 businesses in other suburbs including Earlwood, Coogee, Fairfield, Campbelltown, Menai, Narellan, Moorebank-Hammondville and Liverpool.

Fair Work Ombudsman NSW director Mark Davidson said the informal visits are aimed at helping employers to understand changes to national workplace laws, including the introduction of the National Employment Standards and Modern Awards.

This year, the Fair Work Ombudsman will make educational visits to 10,000 employers in NSW, 10,000 in Queensland, 5000 in South Australia and 1000 in Tasmania. There will be additional visits in 2011 and 2012.

Davidson said his advice to business operators is to “get the basics right” when it comes to their work place obligations.

“By the basics, I mean knowing what Award applies to your employees, what the correct classifications for your employees are and what pay rates apply,”

The Fair Work Ombudsman has more than 200 advisers available to speak with business operators on its Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 or you can to fairwork.gov.au