2019 Federal Election snapshot
The time has come. Prime Minster Scott Morrison has announced the Federal Election for 18 May 2019. One thing is clear and that is that the outcome of the election will have… Read Article →
Unpaid interns: An expensive lesson for fashion start up ‘Her Fashion Box’
Late last month, the Federal Circuit Court handed down significant penalties totaling $329,133 against online fashion start up Her Fashion Box Pty Ltd and its sole director Kathleen Purkis, in Fair Work… Read Article →
Recent case outlines importance for employers to recognise sexual harassment
Recently, in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (the Tribunal), in Kerkofs v Abdallah (Human Rights) [2019] VCAT 259, Ms Kerkofs (the Applicant) was successful in her sexual harassment claim against Mr… Read Article →
Update: Union continues campaign on converting casual employees
This week, during a Senate inquiry in Melbourne on the Fair Work Amendment (Right to Request Casual Conversion) Bill, the unions have continued their campaign for small businesses to be forced to… Read Article →
Update: Stop Bullying Orders
Stop bullying orders under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) are intended to have a wide application, extending beyond employees to ‘workers’ including contractors, volunteers and students gaining work experience. Recently, the… Read Article →
Unnecessary and unconstitutional? The Practical and Legal Problems With the Criminalisation of Wage Theft
The deliberate underpayment of employee entitlements, such as wages, is not currently a criminal offence in Australia (despite the misleading use of the term by some). However, that is about to change… Read Article →
Why employment needs rules: Recent stories from Sport
The employment relationship is one of contract. Without a contract, there can be no employment. However, society has long recognised a need for more than merely a contract to govern the employment… Read Article →
The misleading and inaccurate use of the term “wage theft”
Wage theft is one of the flavours of the month in the industrial relations space at the moment with repeated calls to introduce tough criminal penalties for those employers who “steal” their… Read Article →
Employers Behaving Badly: What not to do as a Small Business Employer
The recent Fair Work Commission (the Commission) decision in Lamacq v Smerff Electrical demonstrates a classic case of what an employer should not do when terminating an employee. Business Owner, Mr Hickey,… Read Article →
Criminal offences outside of work: Can an employee be suspended?
Can an employer indefinitely suspend an employee who has been charged with a serious criminal offence for conduct that occurred outside of work? That is the question facing the St George Illawarra… Read Article →