The office of the Employee Ombudsman provides an advisory service to employees on their rights and obligations under awards and enterprise agreements (including advising individual home-based workers who are not covered by awards or enterprise agreements on the negotiation of individual contracts). The Employee Ombudsman can also investigate claims of coercion in the negotiation of enterprise agreements, and scrutinize enterprise agreements lodged for approval and intervene in the proceedings for approval if necessary. The Employee Ombudsman can also represent employees in proceedings (other than proceedings for unfair dismissal) and investigate the working conditions of employees and outworkers.