The Victorian Government has pushed ahead with legislation to create a criminal offence for deliberate underpayment, defying employer calls for it to be scrapped or delayed.
The Victorian Government intends to "pierce the corporate veil" with its forthcoming legislation to introduce criminal penalties for the worst cases of underpayment and exploitation.
In a significant decision on duty of care, a former public prosecutor and mother of two traumatised by having to prepare a large volume of child sexual offence cases has been awarded more than $400,000 in damages.
In a decision contemplating the extent to which pleadings can be changed during proceedings, an appeal court has refused a manager's last-minute bid to claim he was assaulted by co-workers when "impelled" to perform in gold hotpants during a company conference.
A tribunal has upended a large transport company's "unilateral" decision to change to zero its blood alcohol policy limit for contracted owner-drivers, finding a toolbox meeting and noticeboard postings did not meet the governing agreement's consultation requirements.
The Victorian Parliament has passed legislation to introduce a new offence of industrial manslaughter, as the West Australian government prepares to consider its own law.
Victoria's Andrews Labor Government has announced a $10 million package to boost WorkSafe's ability to enforce planned industrial manslaughter laws, which are now before the Upper House.
Victorian Attorney-General and workplace safety minister Jill Hennessy says that new legislation to create a criminal offence of industrial manslaughter could extend to some workplace-linked suicides and to diseases such as silicosis.
A court has upheld the reinstatement of a high school teacher dismissed for tampering with students' results, rejecting the Department of Education's argument the decision lacked "intelligible justification".
The Victorian Supreme Court has refused to intervene in the federal ALP's efforts to oust CFMMEU construction and general division Victorian branch secretary John Setka from the party, finding the process is subject to the state party's rules.