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Call when you want, but there's no one home, and you're not gonna reach my telephone! The "Right to Disconnect" becomes law

Employees will have the right to disconnect from work outside normal working hours, after amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) were recently passed.

Importantly, nothing in the new law suggests that an employer cannot contact an employee outside of their normal working hours. Rather, the amendments mean employees may refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer or third party outside of the employee’s working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable.

Workplace RelationsLauren CantFebruary 29, 2024Dean Schubert, Peter Wright

Are you across the new paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave laws and regulations?

New legislation allowing full-time, part-time and casual employees access to 10 days of paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave (FDVL) applies for large businesses from today, 1 February 2023. What does this mean for employers?

Workplace RelationsLauren CantFebruary 1, 2023Dean Schubert

Temporary insolvency relief extended until 31 December 2020

On 7 September 2020, the Australian Government announced that the temporary insolvency relief measures introduced on 24 March 2020 would be extended until the end of the year.

The legacy lingers on: "Legacy employers" to retain access to flexibility measures under JobKeeper 2.0

The Coronavirus Economic Response Package (JobKeeper Payments) Amendments Bill 2020, dubbed "JobKeeper 2.0", is set to drastically cut the number of businesses eligible for the JobKeeper wage subsidy, when it takes effect from 28 September 2020. After last minute changes to the JobKeeper 2.0 legislation, passed last week, newly-ineligible employers will maintain access to some workplace flexibility measures.

Corporate & Commercial, Workplace RelationsLauren CantSeptember 7, 2020Peter Wright, Dean Schubert

Will you be entitled to JobKeeper 2.0? Here's what we know so far...

On 21 July 2020, the Commonwealth Government announced that the JobKeeper measure will be extended by a further period of 6 months. Dubbed "JobKeeper 2.0", the 2-tiered, watered-down JobKeeper extension will apply from 28 September 2020 to 28 March 2021.

A promise found to be not so redundant – a cautionary tale for insolvency practitioners

A recent case handed down by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal reinforces the importance of insolvency practitioners exercising caution in relation to making arrangements, undertakings or agreements with employees.

Are you purchasing shares or units in a landholding trust or company? Beware!

In NSW when you buy land, you pay duty. When you buy shares in a company or units in a trust, you can also pay duty at land rates where the company or trust is considered a ‘landholder’. The NSW Government has now made it more likely that the acquisition of shares or units will be subject to duty at land rates, and also made it easier for them to collect that duty.