Archive

But impact from major COVID-19 related actions will be evident in April Australia posted a surprise rise in jobs in March before the full impact of coronavirus restrictions was captured and was likely bolstered by hiring at supermarkets and associated supply chains to assist with a surge in spending ahead of the lockdown. Confounding the […]

The commencement of a disciplinary process against an employee is not an insignificant matter. It serves to notify an employee that their employer has serious concerns about their employment; whether that is the standard of the employee’s performance, their conduct or their behaviour. Importantly, it notifies an employee that they are at risk of being […]

The ATO will now only consider deferring PAYG withholding for large businesses where there is a genuine risk of insolvency, but directors have been warned of the significant risks in applying for the relief. The Tax Office has now clarified its position on its discretion to defer the PAYG withholding, GST and excise obligations of […]

Businesses need to be proactive in setting new best practices with respect to the protection of their intellectual property With the outbreak of COVID-19, all of a sudden, to keep businesses afloat, employers and employees are having to work from home in unprecedented numbers. This presents numerous challenges for businesses when it comes to cyber […]

The Australian government says temporary visa holders with work rights are being given access to draw from their superannuation to help them deal with the coronavirus economic impacts. The Morrison government says temporary visa holders with work rights – including international students – will be allowed to draw on their superannuation funds to help them […]

Disability services provider, Activ Foundation Inc. (Activ) will back-pay employees in Western Australia a total of $13.6 million after breaching Australia’s workplace laws. Activ, which is a registered Australian Disability Enterprise, has entered into a Court-Enforceable Undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman after self-disclosing that it underpaid 1,695 current and former employees, in diverse roles […]

Qantas and Jetstar have stood down two-thirds of employees temporarily to preserve as many jobs as possible longer term. The majority of the 30,000 employees will be stood down until at least the end of May 2020. During the stand down, employees will be able to draw down on annual and long service leave and […]

Federal and State anti-discrimination legislation makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against or harass a person in their employment. The legislation also places liability on employers for the discriminatory conduct of their employees. This means that if an employee is found to have acted in breach of anti-discrimination legislation, their employer may also be […]