The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (the Act), now obliges Australian employers and persons conducting a business to take “reasonable and proportionate measures” to eliminate, as far as is possible, the following behaviours: discrimination on the ground of sex in a work...
The recent decision of the Federal Court in the matter of Dorsch v HEAD Oceania Pty Ltd (penalty) [2024] FCA 484 has highlighted the importance of employers promptly paying employees their accrued entitlements on termination of employment. The Respondent employer was...
Details of the Enforceable Undertaking can be found here. Pro Ten Holdings Pty Ltd was the owner of a farm in Griffith NSW, where a worker employed by a contractor was fatally injured when he was struck and run over by a reversing telehandler operated by another...
WorkSafe has commenced the first prosecutions under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) (WHS Act), which came into effect in March 2022. Details of the prosecutions can be found here. The commencement of several prosecutions in April 2022 no doubt coincides with...
Background The appellant was enrolled in the Dental Medicine degree at the University of Western Australia (University). In 2019, he failed two units which involved participating in a clinical placement at the Dental Health Service (DHS) operated by the North...
The decision comes four years after the Health Services Union lodged an application for a 25% increase of wages across the board for an “under-valued, under-appreciated lifeblood of the care economy.” The pay rise follows the 15% increase to minimum wages awarded by...
In addition to the ‘Secure Jobs, Better Pay’ and ‘Protecting Worker Entitlements’ legislation implemented in 2023, the ‘Closing Loopholes Act’ 2023 came into effect on 13 December 2023, aimed at better protecting the rights of employees. This was followed by the...
In a recent article, our Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety Team wrote about whether WorkSafe will soon move from “Education to Enforcement” of psychosocial hazards. Our lawyers have now identified 12 tips to consider in ensuring key documentation is in place...
Irrespective of what contract is being offered, unless any of its terms are unlawful, they will likely be binding (and possibly, binding in unanticipated ways if they are unclear). If you don’t understand the contract terms, then get legal advice. In this article, we...
Last week the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria fined Court Services Victoria $379,157, for what the Court heard was a “toxic workplace culture”. Staff had been exposed to psychosocial hazards over a three-year period, which ultimately contributed to the suicide of one...