The latest

news and updates

A photo of someone typing on a keyboard with their computer screen full of 6 people's faces as they video call.

March 30 2021

Life after JobKeeper: Managing staff in the event of lockdown

The end of the Federal Government’s JobKeeper program on 28 March 2021 saw with it the end of several legislative provisions which provided employers with crucial flexibilities to respond to an ever-shifting ...
Read more
a photo of a group of white human shaped blocks standing on a table, and a red block stands in front.

March 23 2021

What businesses need to know about the new Fair Work amendments

Yesterday, the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2021 was passed by both Houses of Parliament and will shortly enter into law. Yet despite strong support from businesses ...
Read more
a close up photo of australian money - a ten dollar note, a twenty dollar note, a one hundred dollar note, a fifty dollar note, a two dollar coin and three one dollar coins.

March 2 2021

REMINDER: Upcoming changes to the Retail Award

As 2021 races by at an already alarming rate, NRA Legal takes this opportunity to remind members of several changes to the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (Retail Award) coming up in the ...
Read more
A side close up photo of 2 men shaking hands.

February 23 2021

Could there be a resurgence to enterprise bargaining in 2021?

It is an open secret that more and more businesses are breaking the cycle of enterprise bargaining. McDonald’s, Domino’s, and Bunnings after having bargained with their respective workforces over a number of ...
Read more
A photo of two people sitting at a desk and only their hands and forearms can be seen. The person on the left is holding a document in his left hand and a pen in his right hand and is using the pen to point at the document. The person on the right is holding a calculator and inputting a function. On the table are a couple of documents, a cheque, a stack of coins, a pile of notes and an open, blank, lined notebook.

February 16 2021

Odd bedfellows for some: payroll compliance and the salaried employee

Given the extensive regulation that surrounds the minimum entitlements of employees in the Australian industrial relations system, it is still surprising how often businesses fall into the trap of “setting and forgetting” ...
Read more
a close up of a keyboard graphic, where one of the keys is bright red with a white gavel icon in the middle.

February 2 2021

What Boards need to know about wage compliance

The introduction of the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020 into Federal Parliament late last year is likely to change the way that Boards of Directors respond ...
Read more
A close up photo of a person's left hand opening up a door by turning a silver door handle.

January 27 2021

Union right of entry in a post-COVID world

2020 may have been the year the world stood still, but life – and work – continued on for many, albeit changed forever. While laws to help governments respond to the pandemic ...
Read more
a shot of a shelf filled with cream manilla folders and files.

January 12 2021

On the record: Understanding the importance of record-keeping compliance

As the conversation around “wage theft” continues in the media and politics, the importance of award compliance remains at the forefront of employers’ minds. Key amongst basic obligations under the law that ...
Read more
A graphic illustration of a pencil finishing off a drawing of the justice scales

December 15 2020

Summary of proposed reforms to the Fair Work Act

The Morrison Government introduced legislation last December proposing sweeping reforms of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act). The National Retail Association has long campaigned for and significantly contributed towards the development ...
Read more
A side photo of someone's right hand holding a fountain pen and signing a piece of paper.

December 8 2020

Morrison Government proposes sweeping Fair Work reforms

After a year that has been something of a hellish rollercoaster for many businesses, a light has appeared at the end of the tunnel with the Morrison Government announcing that it intends ...
Read more
a zoomed in shot of a judges hand holding a galver over the table.

November 24 2020

High Court challenge to powers of the Fair Work Commission

In what may well turn out to be the industrial relations equivalent of David versus Goliath, a former Coles employee is challenging the power of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to dismiss ...
Read more
an image of a hand placing a red cube block onto the table in the line of five other wooden cube blocks. there is a white store front graphic printed on the front of these blocks.

November 3 2020

Employment essentials: 7 simple steps for new franchisees

Joining a franchise network has always been a popular option for prospective business owners. The customer base is already established; marketing, supply chain logistics, and product development is taken care of by ...
Read more
An image of a person holding up a black phone in their left hand with four speech bubble graphics coming out of the screen which are social media notifications for likes, starred, contacts and messages.

October 27 2020

Notification nightmares: Social media missteps for employers to avoid

The advent of social media has transformed how we live, connect, and do business. Employers can now use social media to advertise, recruit and communicate with employees, and engage directly with customers. ...
Read more
An image if someone's left hand holding a chalk and drawing a dollar sign in the middle of the chalkboard - on the outside of the dollar sign is an arrow going in a circular motion from the right hand side to the left.

October 20 2020

The $5.2 million question: employer hit with record adverse action order

The Federal Court has handed down what may well be the largest payout ever in an adverse action claim under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act), finding that a senior ...
Read more
A photo of two people's hands. A person's right hand is being bandaged with a white bandage by another person to heal an injury.

October 13 2020

When do I need to notify WorkSafe of an incident in the workplace?

Over the past weeks, news has tragically emerged of two delivery riders who were fatally struck by vehicles days apart in Sydney. The incidents have sparked renewed calls for more consistent WHS ...
Read more
A lower half body shot of two children on the runway. The left child is walking towards the front wear brown baggy pants and a white t-shirt, and the child on the right is walking away from the frame wearing a sports jacket and sneakers.

October 8 2020

Employer dodges conviction for child labour offences as regulator flexes muscles

In a stark sign of the times, the Victorian Wage Inspectorate (VWI) has claimed its first criminal prosecution under child labour laws, and emphasized that it stands ready, willing and unafraid to ...
Read more
An white circular sign with the letter 'i' in the middle - an information sign

October 8 2020

COVID Controversy: Obtaining pandemic-relevant information from employees

As businesses navigate the challenges of ensuring the health and safety of their customers and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, they must be careful to avoid infringing upon the privacy of their ...
Read more
A photo of a white piggybank standing on top of a grey calculator on top of an empty wooden desk.

September 8 2020

Presumptuous payroll rules end in heavy penalties for employer

In a stern warning for employers who “automate” certain parts of their payroll processes, the South Australian Employment Tribunal (the Tribunal) has slammed an employer with significant penalties for automatically deducting unpaid ...
Read more
In the middle of the image is a black analogue alarm clock showing 7:00 and around it are Australian money notes falling down.

September 1 2020

Parliament passes JobKeeper 2.0

This afternoon, Parliament passed the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Jobkeeper Payments) Amendment Bill 2020 which gives effect to the previously announced extension of the JobKeeper Payment Scheme until 28 March 2021. To continue participating in ...
Read more
A torso shot of a person walking down the stairs wearing work clothes and holding a cardboard box filled with belongings.

August 31 2020

“Hopelessly cavalier”: Fair Work Commission cracks down on discriminatory redundancies

The Fair Work Commission has taken aim at a family-owned retail business and a financial services firm, both of whom restructured their operations after they were notified that two respective employees had ...
Read more
a blackboard with a blank flowchart drawn on it in white.

August 26 2020

The definitive guide to employee classification levels

One of the most common questions we are asked on the workplace relations hotline is how to correctly classify employees. In most cases, this is a fairly straight forward exercise, and it’s ...
Read more
A photo of the inside of someone's left hand with the fingers spread, and on the palm is painted with 5 painted lines in the order (from left to right) of blue, pink, white, pink and blue. These painted links make up a sort of square right in the middle of the palm. The background of the hand is a blush pink.

August 18 2020

Transgender inclusion in the workplace

Seven years ago, on 1 August 2013, it became unlawful across all of Australia to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status under the Sex Discrimination Act ...
Read more
A suited man standing in front of a city skyline in the day time, holding an analogue clock with both hands and putting it in front of his face.

August 18 2020

High Court confirms status quo on personal leave

On 13 August 2020, the High Court of Australia delivered its eagerly-awaited judgment in the case Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd v Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union [2020] HCA 29 (Mondelez v ...
Read more
An in-action shot of a short glass with some alcohol (similar to whiskey or rum) in the middle of being knocked and the alcohol is splashing out of the glass.

August 11 2020

Night on the town sinks compensation claim

Many employers offer their employees the opportunity to travel during their employment – whether to meet clients or customers, or to attend training, seminars, or conferences, and this is often considered a ...
Read more
A photo of worker's torso who is wearing a black apron and holding a dark brown notebook - similar to the ones waitresses use to write down menu orders.

August 4 2020

Important ‘stand down’ information for Victorian employers

From midnight on Wednesday, 5 August 2020, Victoria will enter Stage 4 restrictions and all non-essential retailers located in the Melbourne metropolitan area will be restricted to contactless ‘click and collect’ and ...
Read more
a photo showing a man in a suit holding a clipboard (with a document in it) and pen and showing it to a woman sitting opposite him. The pen he is holding is pointing to a section in the document.

July 27 2020

Inquiry by a prospective employee not “protected” under Fair Work Act

In a fascinating case before the Federal Court of Australia, Justice Steward considered whether a prospective employee has a workplace right to make inquiries about their prospective employment. Such a question obviously ...
Read more
a close up photo of australian money - a ten dollar note, a twenty dollar note, a one hundred dollar note, a fifty dollar note, a two dollar coin and three one dollar coins.

July 21 2020

JobKeeper extended to March 2021, but important changes are on the way

Today, the Prime Minister announced that the JobKeeper package would be extended from 27 September 2020 until 28 March 2021. This news comes as welcome relief as businesses still struggle with uncertainty, particularly with ...
Read more

Stay updated

with the latest news, changes & events