If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that Australian employment law is no longer evolving at the margins. From flexible work disputes to criminal wage underpayment and tighter scrutiny of internal processes, the year marked a decisive recalibration of employer obligations, with regulators and courts signalling less tolerance for ‘good intentions’ unsupported by systems, evidence and […]
Employment Law Lessons learned in 2025 Read More »
Unfair Dismissal – You can lawfully dismiss an employee and still lose an unfair dismissal claim A valid reason isn’t enough to defend a claim in the Fair Work Commission. If the process is rushed, undocumented, or denies procedural fairness, the Commission can still find that the dismissal was harsh, unjust or unreasonable. Probation –
Did you know… unfair dismissal, probation, redundancy and more. Read More »
Representations vs Warranties when hiring You’re recruiting for a key role. During interviews and negotiations, the candidate makes statements about their qualifications, experience, licences, ability to work certain hours, or eligibility to work in Australia. You rely on those statements when deciding to offer them the job. Fast forward a few months and it turns
If It Matters, Put It in the Contract: Representations vs Warranties in Hiring Read More »
‘Shut Up and Go Away’ Money – let’s talk about it. Every experienced employer has either paid it, thought about paying it, or been advised to pay it. I’m talking about shut up and go away money – the kind of payment made not because you’ve done something wrong, but because it’s simply cheaper, faster,
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Terminating an Employee – Five Mistakes to Avoid Terminating employment is one of the most sensitive and high-risk aspects of managing a team. While most employers aim to get it right, even well-resourced businesses can slip up in ways that open the door to Fair Work claims, reputational harm, or workplace unrest. Here are five
Terminating an Employee? Read More »
Redundancy and Redeployment – A Recent High Court Decision Employers have long been under an obligation to consider redeployment before making a role redundant. A redundancy won’t be genuine if the employer could have reasonably redeployed the employee within the business or an associated entity. The tricky question is when is redeployment “reasonable”? Last week,
Redundancy and Redeployment – A Recent High Court Decision Read More »
Last week, Qantas was hit with the largest fine in Australian employment law history – a $90 million penalty – after unlawfully sacking 1,820 employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background In November 2020, Qantas announced it would outsource its ground handling operations at ten airports to third-party providers. The move resulted in 1,820 terminations. The
Qantas’ Record Fine for General Protections Breaches Read More »
Businesses facing tough commercial decisions in the current climate might consider asking employees to volunteer for redundancies as one way to cut costs. Voluntary redundancies help avoid the challenges that often come with selecting positions to be made redundant, and can prevent forced and disputed terminations. However, it is important that employers do not commit
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Sexual Harassment Prevention Plans required in QLD Workplaces From 1 March 2025, all businesses and organisations operating in Queensland are required to have a sexual harassment prevention plan in place. This new legal duty comes from changes to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld). Queensland is the first state to mandate a written
Sexual Harassment Prevention Plans Read More »
If you are thinking about employee termination, the following are a few key issues to be considered: To reduce your risk exposure, reach out to us before firing an employee so we can provide you with practical and straight-shooting advice to protect your business.
Considering Termination? Read More »
