News

A consultant has been awarded less than $1000 in compensation despite the Fair Work Commission finding his dismissal by way of redundancy, which was actioned in April little more than a week after the unveiling of the JobKeeper wage subsidy program, not to be genuine.

The Fair Work Commission has upheld the dismissal of an animal management officer after her prolonged and “extensive” time fraud was exposed, following the complaints of her neighbour that someone had been “hooning” (i.e. doing burn-outs) in the Council vehicle supplied to the employee, in their shared driveway during the early hours of a morning in August 2019.

A report recently tabled in Federal Parliament by IR Minister, Christian Porter, has identified approximately 75% of employers that participated in the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme utilised temporary ‘flexibilities’, such as modified stand-downs, to keep their businesses afloat and maintain staff in employment during the peak of the pandemic.

The Queensland Parliament has passed new wage theft laws which could see dodgy employers jailed for up to 14 years.

Continue reading “Dodgy Employers Could Be Sent to the Joint Under New Wage Theft Laws”

Queensland’s portable long service leave (PLSL) scheme for the community services industry will commence on 1 January 2021.

Continue reading “Community Services Industry Portable Long Service Leave Scheme to Start 1 January 2021”

On 1 September 2020, the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Jobkeeper Payments) Amendment Bill 2020 (the Bill) was passed by both Houses of Parliament, officially extending operation of the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme for eligible businesses – subject to reductions in payments and other modifications – through to March 2021.

Early in July, the appeal against the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia’s August 2019 decision in Mondelez v AMWU & Ors [2019] FCAFC 138 was heard before the High Court of Australia. This morning, just shy of one year to the day the Federal Court issued the significant decision, the High Court has set aside the ruling.

UPDATE: Legislation to support the extension and modification of the JobKeeper scheme was subsequently passed by Parliament on 1 September 2020 – catch up here.

The Morrison Government has announced its intention to extend the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme beyond September, but payments will reduce whilst business eligibility for the scheme will tighten.

UPDATE: The High Court handed down its decision in this matter on 13 August 2020 – catch-up in our related article here.

Most employers will likely recall that, in August last year, a Full Federal Court handed down a significant – and, for the most part, unexpected – decision, finding that the entitlement to “10 days of paid personal/carer’s leave” contained within the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) was to be interpreted as 10 “working days” for all permanent employees. According to the Federal Court, this entitlement to 10 “working days” per year also extends to part-timers, regardless of the number of hours or days they work per week.