Christmas party handy hints

We have all been to Christmas parties which have become a bit messy as the afternoon/night has worn on.   Both employers and workers need to be aware of the significant risks involved in letting Christmas events get out of hand.  This can range from one or more...

Budget Employment Law Update

Now that the dust from the Abbott government’s first budget has started to settle, it is timely to recap the main employment related measures: Perhaps most importantly, the compulsory superannuation guarantee rate will increase from 9.25% to 9.5% from 1 July...

Workplace Relations Election 2013

At the midpoint of the federal election campaign, we thought it timely to provide a brief overview of the major party positions on workplace relations. The central theme is “evolution” rather than “revolution”.   Australian Labor Party Labor’s policy is essentially...

July employment law update

There have been some significant changes take effect from July 1 which are summarised below. Employers should be aware of these changes and ensure that workplace procedures and policies take them into account. Minimum wages Minimum wages increased from 1 July 2013 as...

New bullying laws and other news

There have been several recent changes to federal employment law that you should know about, applying from 1 January 2013, including: The federal paid parental leave scheme has been extended to eligible fathers and partners who are entitled to 2 weeks’ paid leave at...