

On 9 December 2020, Attorney-General and Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter introduced the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020 (IR Bill) to the Australian Parliament. The IR Bill was drafted following the formation of five IR reform working groups which were made up of employer and industry groups and unions. […]
JobKeeper 2.0 – What you need to know As of 28 September 2020, changes to the JobKeeper scheme have extended the scheme until 28 March 2021. These changes include enabling employers that previously qualified for JobKeeper payments, but that no longer qualify because they have not met the threshold of a 30% decline in turnover, […]
As employment lawyers, we sometimes don’t hear from certain clients until something goes wrong. It may be that the new recruit doesn’t have the skills to fit their job description, an unsuccessful candidate has made a discrimination complaint, or the challenging consequences of a poorly drafted employment contract are coming to light. With each of these […]
The High Court has handed down its decision in Mondelez today, finally settling the question about what “10 days” of personal/carer’s leave means. Employers now have certainty about entitlements. […]
As we commence the new financial year, we remind employers that some of you may very soon be required to increase wages for your employees. Are you one of those employers? Read on to consider whether this legal obligation affects you. If you are an employer who pays: the minimum wage to your award/agreement free […]
Organisations across Australia are currently preparing for, and dealing with, the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Coronavirus). According to experts, it is a question of when, not if, a pandemic will be declared and the Australian Government has already triggered its emergency response plan. A pandemic, according to the World Health Organisation, is the worldwide spread […]
What is an annualised wage arrangement? Some modern awards contain provisions for an annualised wage arrangement. An annualised wage arrangement is a mechanism by which an employer pays an annualised wage to an award employee that is equal or superior to the entitlements required by the modern award. This allows for payment of a higher […]
The Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference (APSACC) last week offered a wide programme of speakers and accordingly attracted a large audience. The recent changes to whistleblower laws meant that APSACC was of particular interest this year to those who work on integrity matters in the public and private sectors. Whistleblower protections are attracting great interest […]
Last weekend I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend an exceptional conference; the Australian Local Government Women’s Association Vic Conference 2019. The conference was hosted by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council and Justitia was one of the sponsors. The theme of the conference was Leadership and Collaboration in government and community. I listened […]
The new Victorian Labour Hire Licensing Scheme (Scheme) – designed to provide protection to vulnerable labour hire workers – came into force on 29 April 2019. The labour hire industry in Victoria is now regulated by the Labour Hire Licensing Authority, which is responsible for implementing the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018 (Vic) (Act) and […]