The Attorney-General's Department is examining the implications of a corporate restructuring last year which saw the taxpayer-funded Fair Entitlements Guarantee liable for about $40 million in employee entitlement claims.
Leading IR lawyer Steven Amendola says a response is needed to last week's call by a full Federal Court for a better system to handle litigants with "serious mental health problems".
The FWC has reinstated a bacon worker, after holding it was not threatening to say she felt like knocking a colleague off her perch, while finding the employer contributed to their stress, denied her procedural fairness and had a tendency to exaggerate evidence.
A full Federal Court has today upheld a permanent stay on an openly gay solicitor's discrimination and harassment case, after he refused to undergo a psychiatric examination paid for by his firm and performed by a specialist of its choosing.
The FWC has found a Telstra HR specialist properly handled an OHS representative's challenge to his retrenchment, despite the CEPU contending his selection was "infected by bias" due to his role and a history of interpersonal conflict with his manager.
The Morrison Government has cut back funding for the Fair Entitlements Guarantee in the 2021-22 Federal Budget, but still expects an increase in claims as COVID-19 support for business is wound back and more employers go into liquidation.
The Morrison Government has stopped short of providing significant funding for working women's centres offering specialist advice on workplace harassment, despite recently expressing support for them in its response to the Respect@Work report.
A recent FWC finding that BHP engaged in unfair bargaining practices, and subsequent tribunal-chaired negotiations, have led to Professionals Australia securing the first standalone enterprise deal for coal mining supervisors.
A full bench has overturned an extension of time, originally granted on the basis of his union's representative error, for a truck driver summarily sacked by Coles Supermarkets after testing positive for methamphetamine and cannabinoids.
The FWC has upheld the sacking of a finance broker who posted sexually-explicit Facebook memes, including one featuring a colleague after seeking her permission, finding a "robust" and sub-par workplace culture did not make his ousting unfair.