As we come into the new financial year, there are a number of changes to wages and superannuation payments that employers need to be aware of. Please read the information below carefully.
The Christmas and New Year period can significantly impact business operations for organisations across Australia. Some businesses may become significantly busier to keep up with demand, whilst others may be shutting down.
Work Christmas parties are a chance for employees to let their hair down, celebrate their achievements from the past working year, and it can also be a great chance for your employees to bond. However, although the work Christmas party can be fun, it can also be fraught with dangers.
NSW has become the latest state to introduce new legislation increasing the consequences for employers who fail to abide by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. This is following the federal Government’s introduction of the ‘Closing Loopholes’ legislation, which had a significant workplace health and safety component that proposed laws such as:
The Federal Government is moving to introduce legislation, the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023, designed to close ‘loopholes’ which are allegedly being exploited by some employers. Of the proposed legislation, the most significant element is the wage theft laws.
Mental health has been a hot topic in our society generally over the past few years, especially after we started to emerge from the pandemic induced lockdowns. These trends in society have been mirrored recently by regulatory bodies across Australia creating various safety regulations, frameworks and codes of practice, meaning that employers now have much more responsibility surrounding mental health risk factors in their workplaces.
The Fair Work Ombudsmen has alleged a franchisor (Bakers Delight) has legal liability over its franchisee’s underpayments under the Franchisor liability provisions in the Fair Work Act. This is only the second time that this has occurred and is a significant case that all franchisors should be looking at carefully.
The phrase “shutdown” has typically been defined as a period when a business temporarily closes operations. Shutdowns typically occur over Christmas, or some other holiday period, in businesses that operate seasonally, or in the event the business needs to close for maintenance. Generally, employees are made to take either paid or unpaid leave and don’t have much flexibility or choice in this area.
The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act has amended the Fair Work Act to strengthen the right to request flexible working arrangements, and provided an extension to unpaid parental leave. These changes come into force from 6 June 2023.
Child employment laws in Australia aim to protect the rights and well-being of young individuals in the workforce. These laws are different for each state and territory and aim to regulate working hours and ensure educational and developmental needs are met.
Get the latest HR/ER/IR Updates and news that could affect your business straight into your inbox.
