Employment Discrimination in Australia Employment discrimination occurs when an individual is treated unfairly in the workplace due to personal attributes such as race, sex, age, disability, or other protected attributes. Various federal and state laws, including the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth), and relevant state-based anti-discrimination laws, […]
In Australian workplaces, Adverse Action refers to negative actions that may be taken by an employer, an employee, or an independent contractor that can impact an individual’s rights, employment conditions, or working environment. Such actions can be retaliatory, discriminatory, or otherwise harmful and are prohibited by the Fair Work Act 2009. The general protections provisions […]
In one of the biggest compensation payments for a general protection claims to date, the Hawkesbury Race Club (“the Club”) has been ordered to make a $2.8 million dollar payout to a long-serving manager, Vivienne Leggett (“Mrs Leggett”), who had her life “effectively destroyed” by a new CEO, Greg Rudolf (“Mr Rudolf”). Background In May […]
Safe Work Australia have recently released Australia’s first comprehensive Work Health and Safety (WHS) guidance (the Guide) focusing predominantly on workplace sexual harassment. The Guide aims to support businesses and organisations in meeting their WHS duties and provides useful risk identification strategies for the purposes of preventing and responding to sexual harassment. The Guide focuses […]
In a warning for employers to ensure sexual harassment complaints are taken seriously and investigated appropriately, the South Australian Employment Tribunal has awarded $30,000 in general damages against Adelaide supermarket, Pasadena Foodland for failing to properly and externally investigate a sexual harassment complaint against its head chef. The Facts – Allegations thought to be “nothing […]