In another chapter to the saga which is the Coalition’s position on parental leave, yesterday, Social Services Minister Christian Porter announced that he wanted amendments to the Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme to pass through the Senate and come into effect by 1 January 2017, just ten weeks away. The amendments would see parents…
Fair Work Commission Annual Report 2015-16
Published 24 October 2016 The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has released its annual report for the period 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016. The FWC is required to produce the reports to the Minister for Employment, Michaelia Cash, for review. 4 yearly modern award review In accordance with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth),…
Dismissal of an employee who harassed a colleague outside the workplace upheld
Published 19 October 2016 The Fair Work Commission found the conduct of an employee constituted bullying and was a valid reason for dismissal despite occurring outside the workplace, as there was ‘a relevant connection to the employment relationship’. X was an employee of Mount Thorley Operations who had been repeatedly bullied by two other employees,…
Worker, found to be a volunteer despite $6,000 payment, unable to pursue unfair dismissal remedy
Published 18 October 2016 The Fair Work Commission dismissed an application for an unfair dismissal remedy, finding the “essential character” of the relationship more similarly resembled that of a volunteer rather than an employee. Grinholz commenced a relationship with Football Federation Victoria Inc (Football Federation) in 2015 as the assistant coach of the Under 13…
Company to pay $100,000 in penalties after misclassifying a “vulnerable” employee as an independent contractor
Published 17 October 2016 The Federal Circuit Court of Australia ordered a company to pay $100,000 in pecuniary penalties and the sole director to pay $24,000, after a British visa-holder was misclassified as an independent contractor and underpaid over $7,800 in wages. Beckitt was a British national who arrived in Australia in February 2013 and…
Hyper-connectivity and the new workplace
The past twenty years have seen more rapid technological change than any other period in human history. This has had a profound effect on social interaction and human psychology. Most notably, increased data speeds, web 2.0, and invention of smart phones, have created a situation where continuous connectivity is the new norm. The answer to…