When the Fair Work Act 2009 was amended in 2017 to allow franchisors to be penalised for the non-compliance of their franchisees if they failed to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent contraventions from occurring, ...

The Fair Work Commission has, for the first time in the short life of the JobKeeper jurisdiction, tested exactly how far a JobKeeper stand down direction can go in reducing an employee’s ...

The need for employers to consider the impact of domestic and family violence on their workforce has been highlighted by the outbreak of COVID-19, with many domestic and family violence support services reporting a ...

In the middle of a pandemic that has left the nation in economic turmoil and prompted Australia’s first recession since 1991, the Victorian Government has passed the Wage Theft Bill 2020 (Vic) which puts ...

On 11 June 2020 the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Bill 2020 passed both houses of Federal Parliament. The Bill received Royal Assent on 16 June 2020, and its changes will take effect ...

The pandemic hasn’t hindered the Fair Work Ombudsman’s (the FWO) efforts to investigate and prosecute wage non-compliance in the retail and fast food sectors. The FWO has recently secured record penalties against ...

It was impossible to miss the headlines following the Full Court of the Federal Court handing down its 273-page judgment in the case WorkPac Pty Ltd v Rossato [2020] FCAFC 84 (Rossato). The case was ...

The Coalition has managed to form a majority government in a fiercely contested election last Saturday. While Labor had spent much of its election campaign outlining a near-overhaul to the industrial relations ...

In something of a speed record for the Australian judicial system, less than three weeks after final submissions were made the Federal Court of Australia yesterday ruled that Qantas workers who have ...

Due to the speed with which the COVID-19 pandemic spread and required social distancing to ‘flatten the curve’, many companies were forced to either stand down their workforces or organise and implement ...

Late Friday evening, the Treasurer tabled the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Amendment Rules (No. 2) 2020 (the Amendments), which amends the rules of the Federal Government’s JobKeeper program. The Amendments give ...

Although reasonably new (and still changing), the JobKeeper program has, so far, had a mixed effect on businesses. Whilst some employers have embraced it wholeheartedly others, especially those with a workforce comprised ...

Many of our readers will doubtless be aware, by virtue of the many, many circulars issued in recent weeks, of the temporary amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) which allow employers greater flexibility in ...

The Fair Work Commission has set the benchmark for employers seeking to reduce the amount of redundancy pay payable to employees who were made redundant due to a downturn in business as a ...

The unprecedented disruption caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) has left many employers considering their immediate options to reduce expenditure over the coming weeks and months. In most cases, substantial cost-savings may be able ...

Receiving notice of any legal proceedings is enough to make the blood run cold of most business owners and HR professionals. For many, the process of defending such an application can be ...

A topic very near and dear to the Legal Beagles hearts.  Cal and Al return this week with a topic causing some stress for well-known brands – workplace bullying (aka exhibit one for Cal’s claim to the ...

In the current economic climate, it is critical for businesses to constantly identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce expenditure. While the prospect of redundancies is certainly not pleasant, they are often ...

If you’re about to lodge a Business Activity Statement (BAS) through the ATO’s Business Portal, now is the time to make the switch. On 27 March, the ATO and 26 other government ...

Investigating an allegation of sexual harassment in the workplace can be one of the greatest challenges a HR professional or employer can face. An allegation of sexual harassment in the workplace carries ...

As we’ve entered a new year, we’ve seen the emergence of a new danger, in the form of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The first cases were reported in the Chinese ...

Does this wage look right to you? The Legal Beagles, Cal and Al, return for 2020 with a brand new analysis on the wage theft (or non-compliance) scandals that have rocked the headlines. Unfortunately, it ...

It is a common misconception that once an employee is paid a salary, a modern award no longer applies to their employment. Whether a modern award applies to a person mostly depends ...

Employers often spruik their ‘zero tolerance’ drug and alcohol policies when trumpeting their safety and workplace processes and cultures. However, the Fair Work Commission has also been promoting a ‘zero tolerance’ approach ...

2019 is drawing to a close, so the Legal Beagles decided to go over their favourite (and most infamous) dismissal decisions of the year. From family squabbles to extremely bad behaviour, it’s a wild ride ...

With the year almost over, it’s time to reflect on the lessons learned in 2019, and prepare for the start of a new decade. In January, we predicted that compliance would continue to be ...

Since before the introduction of the Fair Work Act it has taken more than just a valid reason to dismiss an employee. From providing an opportunity to respond, to not refusing a ...