A 63-year-old brothel receptionist summarily sacked via an intermediary after 15 years of "loyal" service in the "happy little family" workplace will receive near-maximum compensation, after a FWC ruling.
Australia "remains a global laggard" on work/family benefits and the next federal government should extend paid parental leave to 52 weeks, split carers and personal leave into separate 10-day entitlements, and investigate extending personal/carers and annual leave to casual workers, according to an academic group's report.
The Coalition has reversed its stance on working from home in the federal public sector, while also shifting its position on slashing the APS workforce by 41,000, saying it will now be achieved over five years by natural attrition and hiring freezes, but the CPSU is warning this will still have a "devastating" effect on services.
Workers should not refuse to resolve bullying at a workplace level just because they have an anti-bullying case underway, the FWC has found in dismissing a chief executive's claim against her husband during divorce proceedings, finding only a single instance of unreasonable conduct.
The NSW Government will establish a bullying and harassment jurisdiction in the State IRC in an attempt to prevent psychological injuries, as part of wider reforms to the workers' compensation scheme.
A union member acting as a maintenance contractor's health and safety representative has won interim reinstatement while the Federal Court weighs claims that the company sacked him for raising complaints about everything from silica dust exposure to welding fumes and fatigue management.
A tribunal has rejected a bid by the NSW Department of Education to block SafeWork from cross-examining a witness and from relying on previously redacted evidence on the basis of public interest immunity.
A tribunal has ordered a lawyer to pay more than $41,000 of the $371,000 in costs Legal Aid Queensland accrued in defending her "protracted" discrimination and victimisation claims, finding her legal knowledge and lack of supporting evidence justified an order against her.
The Australian Industry Group has expressed dismay at the "skewed" drafting of a FWC survey aiming to gather information on how the clerical award currently impedes or enables working from home.
A mining truck driver's mobile phone use, detected by an infra-red driver alertness system, justified her dismissal, after what the FWC deemed to be a fair investigation process.