International Women’s Day is observed internationally in March.  In this episode of Employment Law for the Time Poor, join Professor Andrew Stewart, Consultant, and Emily Haar, Partner as they discuss recent amendments to federal legislation designed to address pay equity for women, including the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act and the recently passed Closing the Gender Pay Gap Act. They also talk about the next batch of changes to the Fair Work Act in the new Protecting Worker Entitlements Bill.  Organisations will need to be across these many changes (with more still to come) to ensure not just legal compliance, but workplaces where all staff feel best supported to succeed

Organisations have legal obligations to consult with their staff in particular situations.  But what does that actually mean?  In this episode of Employment Law for the Time Poor, join Emily Haar, Partner and Emily Slaytor, Special Counsel in a discussion around the requirements to consult flowing from work health and safety legislation, Awards and Enterprise Agreements.  They discuss how various consultation obligations differ, what the Courts and the Fair Work Commission say is required to comply, and what is not consultation. 

It’s summertime in Australia and things are winding down, right? Perhaps not!

In this episode of Employment Law for the Time Poor join the National Employment Relations team for a review of what was in 2022, and what may be to come in 2023, including:

• the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act;
• the Respect@Work reforms;
• the prohibition of pay secrecy;
• Fair Work Ombudsman compliance measures;
• wage theft;
• the impacts of Jamsek and Personnel Contracting on workforce management;
• increases to Commonwealth penalty unit amounts; and
• the proposed South Australian industrial manslaughter provisions.

Following our last discussion, in this edition Employment Law for the Time Poor, join Professor Andrew Stewart, Consultant, and Emily Haar (Partner), as they discuss some of the additional changes arising from the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022, and how the changes will impact organisations.

In particular, they discuss:

• the delayed commencement of the fixed term contract limitations;
• required reviews of the amendments and Modern Awards; and
• multi-employer bargaining and the various hurdles to be overcome where single interest declarations are sought by employee bargaining representatives without employer agreement

In part two of our two-part special series of Piper Alderman’s Employment Law for the Time Poor Podcast, join Emily Haar and Joe Murphy, Partners, and Emily Slaytor, Special Counsel, for a discussion about the Respect@Work legislative amendments to the legislation introduced to Parliament quite recently. 

In this first part of a two-part special series of Piper Alderman’s Employment Law for the Time Poor Podcast, join Emily Haar, Partner, and Mark Caile, for a discussion about the Respect@Work Report from 2020, which ultimately led to a number of amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act which commenced in late 2021, and further proposed amendments to the legislation introduced to Parliament quite recently. 

In Episode 25 of our Employment Law for the Time Poor Podcast, Emily Haar, Partner, and Zoe McQuillan, Special Counsel, discuss the general protections under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) – what are they, what does it mean to make a “complaint or inquiry in relation to your employment”, and what are the reasons for a decision when there are multiple decision makers? Join them as they discuss the recent authorities on the issue, including Alam v National Australia Bank [2021] FCAFC 178 and Linvelt v QGC Pty Ltd [2022] FedCFamC2G 275.

In Episode 24 of our Employment Law for the Time Poor Podcast, join Emily Haar and Professor Andrew Stewart for a discussion on the implications of the High Court’s decisions in Jamsek and Personnel Contracting, which have adjusted the way in which the “multi-factor test” for considering whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor is conducted.  Rather than the broader factual circumstances being relevant, the focus now is solely on the contractual terms, unless the arrangement is a sham, or has been varied by conduct.  While defending an independent contracting arrangement is now somewhat easier, each situation will need to be assessed on a case by case basis, and contractual drafting is vitally important.

In Episode 23 of our Employment Law for the Time Poor Podcast, join Partner Emily Haar and Special Counsel Emily Slaytor for a catch up on the recent decisions of the Fair Work Commission relating to COVID-19 vaccination, which provide assistance for employers looking to implement their own policies (consultation is the top priority), or where having to navigate the requirements of vaccination health orders and directions.