The Fair Work Commission have made changes, in effect from 1 July 2020, to the Miscellaneous Award 2020 to cover a broader range of workers, including many that previously would not have been covered by any Modern Award. In making this decision, the Fair Work Commission re-emphasised the importance of employers carefully considering award coverage …
Read more
In a recent case Kieran Knight v One Key Resources (Mining) Pty Ltd T/A One Key Resources [2020] FWC 3324 (29 June 2020) (Knight Case), the Fair Work Commission (Commission) found that it is lawful for an employer to requesting certain information from employees to determine any workplace risk created by COVID-19. This may seem …
Read more
On 13 July 2020, Sandra Parker, the current Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), announced the main strategic priorities for the 2020/2021 Financial Year are to address corporate underpayments and assist workplaces through the Covid-19 pandemic. The priority to address underpayment of employees will focus on several specified industries, including the hospitality industry. This might seem harsh …
Read more
All company directors will soon be required to apply to ASIC to obtain their own unique Director Identification Number (DIN). The Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill (the Amendment), part of the Government’s legislative package to introduce the Commonwealth Registers Act, has now passed both houses of parliament. Pending royal assent, it …
Read more
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has recorded an alarming rise in scams and phishing activity since the outbreak of COVID-19. It seems scammers are taking advantage of the situation by trying to trick individuals into handing over money or personal information in support of crisis efforts. How do I know it’s a scam? …
Read more
The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) have determined by hearing on 8 April 2020 to amend modern awards to accommodate for the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes following the provisional views of the FWC released at the start of the month detailing their views on the impact of COVID-19 on employment arrangements. What …
Read more
On Tuesday, 7 April 2020 the Commonwealth Government released a Mandatory Code of Conduct (the Code) containing a set of principles aimed at commercial tenancies to address the COVID-19 pandemic. States and Territories are to legislate the Code which would implement a set of good faith leasing principles that governs commercial tenancies including retail, office …
Read more
Countless Australians are facing financial hardship in the wake of significant coronavirus (COVID-19)-related job loss. Despite the tenant-landlord relationship largely being governed by individual Rental Agreements, the Federal Government have announced some crucial changes to help vulnerable tenants during these tough times. On March 29, the Prime Minister released a statement anticipating the threat of …
Read more
The States and Territories have introduced some temporary changes affecting incorporated associations. The changes are in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and are to accommodate for new social distancing laws. Incorporated associations in the ACT ACT-based incorporated associations have been granted a 3-month extension on their Annual General Meeting (AGM) requirements, applicable up until 30 …
Read more
The five new powers of employers Employers who qualify for the JobKeeper Scheme (a JobKeeper employer) now have the ability to take certain actions when their employees cannot be usefully employed due to COVID-19. This includes: standing down employees; reducing employees’ hours of work; directing employees to undertake certain duties, which may differ from their …
Read more