The Federal Government is considering changing the Corporations Act to curb "sharp corporate practices" that could threaten the "integrity and future sustainability" of the the Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme.
Queensland's Supreme Court has made a ruling suggesting that environmental clean-up costs trump employee obligations when companies fail, according to top-tier law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.
An 18-time "best brothel In Australia" and its operator have been ordered to pay more than $170,000 in compensation and penalties to an award-winning receptionist who won an adverse action case after being dismissed for refusing to shift from permanent part-time to casual employment.
The Department of Employment has clawed back $54 million from failed businesses in the first 12 months of its enhanced program to recover funds outlaid under the Fair Entitlements Guarantee, more than doubling the previous year's figure.
Arrium steel workers in South Australia have accepted a 10% pay cut recommended by the firm's administrator, who says it will help secure a sale of the business.
A court has refused a Fair Entitlements Guarantee payment to an estranged spouse who was working for her husband when his business collapsed but claimed her marriage effectively ended after he took a second wife two years ago.
A tribunal has overturned an Employment Department decision to refuse a patent lawyer's Fair Entitlements Guarantee claim after it found there was no "tacit" agreement that his employment was transferred from a company that became insolvent.
Workers at the Arrium steelworks in South Australia have narrowly rejected a proposed enterprise agreement containing a 10% pay cut that has been proposed by the company's administrator, but the ballot might be re-run in coming weeks.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has warned accessorial liability for workplace breaches is now being extended beyond employers and company directors to those working in human resources, management and recruitment.
