On 7 January 2022, the Fair Work Commission announced that it had extended certain employee’s entitlement to unpaid pandemic leave from 31 December 2021 until 30 June 2022. An employee’s entitlement to unpaid pandemic leave is contained in Schedule X of many modern...
Employment Law
27 September 2021: Casual Conversion Deadline
The Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Act 2021 (Cth) came into effect on 27 March 2021. The amendment to the National Employment Standards provided employers (with more than 15 employees) with a 6-month transition period. This...
Introduction of paid bereavement leave: What does this mean for private sector employers?
On 22 June 2021 in the NSW State budget, a new bereavement leave policy for NSW public workers was established. Women and partners/spouses employed within the public sector who have experienced miscarriages or stillbirths are entitled to five days' paid leave. It...
Minimum Superannuation Guarantee Rate change effective 1 July 2021
As part of the 2021 Federal Budget the changes to the superannuation guarantee were confirmed. Meaning that starting from 1 July 2021 until 1 July 2025, the superannuation guarantee for eligible workers will increase by 0.5% each year as follows: Superannuation...
Sick leave not available to stood down staff, Federal Court rules!
On 18 May 2020, Justice Geoffrey Flick dismissed a union-led bid to have Qantas workers paid sick leave during the period of stand-down. In mid-March 2020, 20,000 Qantas employees were stood-down in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Since this time, these workers...
COVID-19 Witnessing Of Documents
The pandemic has raised some real practical difficulties around signing and witnessing legal documents because of strict social distancing rules in place to protect us all. In order to facilitate and decrease the need for face to face contact for the witnessing of...
Full Bench of Fair Work Commission Confirms Uber Drivers are Not Employees
On 21 April 2020, the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission upheld that the 60,000 drivers contracted by Uber are not employees of Uber. The appeal had been brought by the Transport Workers Union, who argued that Mrs. Gupta, a former UberEats driver, was an employee...
JOBKEEPER SOLUTION EXPLAINED
"JobKeeper" – $130 billion to the rescueUnfolding day-to-day, businesses are being required to respond to the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. Following CLW’s update last week setting out the various alternatives to terminating an employee’s employment as a...
“Non-Essential Services” – Termination, stand-downs and next steps for employers
Following the announcements of Scott Morrison and the various State and Territory leaders on 22 March 2020, a host of closures and restrictions on "non-essential services" including in cafes, restaurants, gyms, pubs, clubs and places of worship has been announced. ...
Australia Natural Disaster Relief – What are the rights and entitlements of volunteers?
Andrew Knox is a volunteer fire fighter, who according to BBC News, dropped his ordinary life to fight the fires which have ravaged New South Wales recently. The New South Wales Rural Fires Services claims to be "the world's largest volunteer firefighting...
Little “Wiggle” room as an unfair dismissal claim dismissed by Fair Work Commission
The Fair Work Commission has recently ruled in an unfair dismissal case brought by an employee of a Toyota Dealership who faked a sickie to take his son to see the Wiggles. On 28 June 2019, Mr Mamo took personal leave to allegedly care for his sick son. In actual fact...
What Does a Day of Paid Personal Leave Mean?
Employers and employees will be well aware that under section 96 of the Fair Work Act employees are entitled to 10 days of paid personal/ carer's leave for each year of service, accrued progressively during the year according to the employee's ordinary hours of work....
Discover your legal pathways
Speak to a member of our team.
