ARTICLES

The Fair Work Ombudsman have updated the Fair Work Information Statement (FWIS), effective 13 August 2020. It is mandatory for employers to provide any new employees with a copy of the FWIS upon commencement of their employment. The FWIS contains information about the...

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for the workforce, as employers adapt to constantly changing conditions. In a recent decision, the Federal Court found that an employee whose hours were unilaterally reduced by their employer was entitled to redundancy...

Many Australian farmers have experienced relief as the most significant drought on record has been alleviated by significant rainfall across the country. Climate scientist from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Roger Stone has urged decision makers to take...

The coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges in many fields, including succession and estate planning. Now is an important time to consider and address how changing circumstances may have impacted on your succession and estate plans. One of the main challenges...

In a recent decision the Full Federal Court has again found that an independent contracting arrangement was in fact employment within the meaning of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). The Court took the usual approach, which is to assess the total employment relationship,...

In the recent decision of CFMMEU v C&H Acquisition Pty Ltd [2020] (‘CFMMEU’) the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) provided clarification on the approval process for enterprise agreements, particularly in relation to undertakings. Enterprise agreements...

In 2011 the Gillard Government suspended live exports of cattle to Indonesia, after strong public backlash to footage of animal cruelty in Indonesian abattoirs. This decision was the subject of a landmark ruling by the Federal Court in June 2020. In Brett Cattle...

New provisions in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (‘the Act’) allow an employer who qualifies for the JobKeeper scheme to issue an eligible employee with a stand down direction, temporarily reducing their hours of work. Where a JobKeeper enabling stand down direction is...

The Annual Update on Australian Beef Sustainability has recently been published. The Annual Update informs the industry and wider community on how the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework is being implemented. The Framework was first developed to guide the beef...