Employment Contracts

August 26, 2025

Alert!
The ‘right to disconnect’ comes into force for Small Businesses on 26 August 2025

Employment Contracts, Termination of Employment

Closing Loopholes No. 2 Act amended the Fair Work Act 2009 to prevent employers from contacting employees (or attempting to contact) outside of their ordinary work hours. For non small businesses (with 15 or more employees), this came into effect on 26 August 2024 and for small businesses (with less than 15 employees), this came into effect […]

June 3, 2025

Alert!
Minimum wage & superannuation increase

Awards and Employee Entitlements, Employment Contracts, Enterprise Agreements

From the first full pay period after 1 July 2025 there will be a 3.5% increase to the National Minimum Wage and the minimum rates in modern awards. This means that: The minimum wage will increase from $24.10 per hour to $24.95 per hour for full time employees; and All modern award rates will increase […]

May 16, 2025

Employment Update
Flexible work requests – not just a formality

Awards and Employee Entitlements, Employment Contracts

The Fair Work Commission (“FWC”) has overturned an employer’s refusal of a flexible working arrangement request, stating that “the importance of the written response” required by the Fair Work Act “cannot be understated”. In this employment update we discuss what flexible working arrangements are, who is entitled to request them, and what went wrong for […]

Casual Conversion Rules are Changing (200 x 200 px)

February 25, 2025

ALERT
Casual Conversion Rules are changing

Awards and Employee Entitlements, Employment Contracts

The process for employees to convert from casual employment to part or full time employment is changing. What avenue applies depends on your business and when the casual employee was employed: Unlike the previous system, the ‘Employee Choice Pathway’ (“ECP”) does not require the employer to offer the conversion. Instead, employees have the right to […]

February 29, 2024

EMPLOYMENT UPDATE
Closing Loopholes No. 2

Employment Contracts, Enterprise Agreements, Independent Contractor Agreements, Industrial action, Policies and Procedures, Sham Contracting

We have prepared a summary of the most significant changes arising from the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes No. 2) Act 2024 (‘Closing Loopholes No. 2 Act’), which was passed by the Federal Parliament on 12 February 2024 and received royal assent on 26 February 2024.The Closing Loopholes No. 2 Act amends the Fair […]

December 19, 2023

EMPLOYMENT UPDATE
Landmark decision regarding flexible working arrangements

Employment Contracts, Policies and Procedures

The Fair Work Commission has recently handed down a landmark decision which sheds some light on how flexible working arrangement disputes will be dealt with in the Fair Work Commission. The decision follows changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (‘Act’) in June 2023. The changes to the Act gave the Fair Work Commission the […]

December 19, 2023

ALERT!
Phase one of ‘Closing the Loopholes’ Bill passes Parliament

Discrimination and Harassment, Employment Contracts, Workplace Health & Safety

The first part of the now ‘split’ Closing the Loopholes Bill has now passed through Parliament. In summary, employers should be aware that this new legislation contains provisions that are designed to: Prevent companies underpaying workers through the use of labour hire arrangements; Criminalise deliberate wage theft; Strengthen discrimination protections for workers experiencing family and […]

October 3, 2023

EMPLOYMENT UPDATE
Overtime: to pay or not to pay

Employment Contracts, Policies and Procedures, Underpayment Claims

This Employment Update examines a recent and significant decision involving a wage theft class action in the Federal Court, which was brought by a group of employees seeking payment for overtime they worked “regularly and extensively” without formal authorisation from their employer. While the decision dealt with an interpretation of the text of the employer’s […]

August 31, 2023

EMPLOYMENT UPDATE
Employee’s drunken urination on co-worker not linked to employment

Employment Contracts, Misconduct, Policies and Procedures, Serious Misconduct

This Employment Update examines the High Court’s recent decision to uphold an employer’s appeal against a decision where $432,000 in damages was awarded to an employee who suffered a psychological injury after a co-worker urinated on his face while he was sleeping. This decision provides much needed clarity for employers on the issue of vicarious […]

June 30, 2023

ALERT!
Minimum wage and superannuation increase

Awards and Employee Entitlements, Employment Contracts

Last month, the Fair Work Commission announced a 5.75% increase to the minimum rates in the modern awards, which takes effect from the first full pay period after 1 July 2023. For those employees who are not covered by a modern award or enterprise agreement, and are paid the National Minimum Wage, they will receive […]

1 2 3 4