The Novel Coronavirus (COVID -19) was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City, China. Many employers now face the question of how to respond to the unfolding outbreak and need to determine...
New Modern Slavery laws are now in place and you may be legally required to submit an annual modern slavery statement.
In the wake of the closely watched proceedings recently commenced by Israel Folau regarding the termination of his employment for his comments on social media, the right of a public sector employee...
These new legislative regimes in Australia have been largely inspired by existing modern slavery and transparency legislation in the UK and the USA.
With significant regulatory change coming into effect the spotlight is staying firmly on culture, ethics and regulatory compliance. An organisation’s social licence to operate remains a priority...
As we approach 1 July, it is important to assess changes in the employment landscape for the next financial year.
What are employee incentive plans and why do employers use them?
Employers engaged in contracting sectors – such as providing outsourced services to third parties under contracts for specified periods (e.g. catering, cleaning or maintenance contracts) – cannot...
Class actions are set to become a prominent feature of the Australian employment law landscape.
Employers can no longer assume that casual employees are not entitled to paid annual leave.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistleblower Protections) Bill 2017), which is currently before the Senate, consolidates the existing whistleblowers’ regime in the corporate and financial...
Workplace investigations are becoming more common in the employment landscape. Australian courts have been required to scrutinise the extent to which an employer owes a duty to their employees.
South Australia and Queensland have recently introduced new labour hire licensing legislation to provide greater protections for workers and accountability for employers in the labour hire industry.
The Long Service Leave Act 2018 (Vic) (Act) received Royal Assent on 15 May 2018 and will repeal and replace the Long Service Leave Act 1992 (Vic).
The obligations of employers in relation to employee records have become more important under the recent changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (Act) as a result of the Fair Work Amendment...
Amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 will increase penalties available for breaches of workplace laws, and aim to strengthen the powers of the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Two recent cases have provided valuable guidance on the enforceability of restraint of trade obligations against former employees in contracts for the sale of a business. The cases make it clear...
As highlighted by a recent Full Bench decision of the WA AIRC (Spotless Group v Dennis Buckle [2017] WAIRC 00024), tribunals are prepared to refer to the National Employment Standards to resolve...
Two recent decisions of FWC mean that employers, particularly in the retail and hospitality industries, should confirm their minimum rate obligations to employees.
Legal issues from March 2017.
In reviewing modern award penalty rates in the hospitality & retail sectors, the FWC has reduced Sunday and public holiday rates in a number of awards.
Australian courts and regulators are targeting employers who engage workers as contractors to avoid employee entitlements. We consider two highly publicised sham contracting investigations as well...
Gender equality remains a hot topic for employers. New gender reporting requirements commenced this year with further reporting obligations in the pipeline. However, the new minimum standards may...