The NSW IRC has wound back disciplinary measures against a prosecutor accused of "coaching" when he mimicked digital penetration and fellatio to a witness pursuing a sexual assault case.
In a decision said to have "massively" raised the bar on compensation amounts, Queensland's Industrial Court has boosted a "manifestly inadequate" $50,000 payout to nearly $160,000 for a casual laundry worker who faced demands for s-x in return for work.
A tribunal has ordered a restaurant manager accused of drugging and raping a bartender to pay aggravated and other damages of $150,000, after leaving the vulnerable international student too traumatised to keep working in the hospitality sector.
In the wake of NSW public sector nurses taking industrial action in pursuit of nurse-to-patient ratios, NSW Health says they "do not reflect modern rostering practises", even though they are used in the Labor states of Queensland and Victoria.
The NSW IRC appears set to boost its full-time membership to six following the appointment of two new commissioners, one a former union official and the other currently heading up a poker machine lobby group.
Leading IR lawyer Steven Amendola says a response is needed to last week's call by a full Federal Court for a better system to handle litigants with "serious mental health problems".
The McGowan Government has appointed long-serving WA IRC senior member Stephen Kenner as the tribunal's Chief Commissioner, with Perth-based barrister Rachel Cosentino to replace him as Senior Commissioner.
The NSW IRC has awarded police a 1.75% pay rise after finding their award does not reflect productivity and efficiency improvements since 2011, but the state's paramedics will get only 0.3% with a one-off payment to boost their first year's increase to $1000.
A Logan City Council chief executive who alleged she was sacked by elected members after accusing the mayor of corruption has had her adverse action and whistleblowing claims thrown out by Queensland's IRC.
In a setback for unions fighting a mooted 1.5% pay cap for NSW public servants, the state's Court of Appeal has upheld a decision affirming a 0.3% increase in the 2020-21 financial year, in part because investing in infrastructure would be better than wages in stimulating the economy during the pandemic.
