In late 2022, the Commonwealth Government’s ‘Secure Jobs, Better Pay Amendment Act 2022’ was passed by Federal Parliament, delivering some of the most significant changes to Australia’s industrial relations laws in the last decade.

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year’s with your families and friends and that at least some of you got to enjoy a break. We know this is a busy time for many businesses and we are grateful for your ongoing hard work during the holiday period.

This month many Australians will be celebrating Australia Day on January 26.

As Acting Chief Executive, it’s exciting to see so many people getting out and about across Victoria as the summer weather provides the perfect conditions for lapping up what we love about this great state. Many Victorians are returning to work while others are taking an extended break at our tourist hot spots, enjoying the Australian Open, the Lunar New Year and a myriad of other events.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) denied an employee’s unfair dismissal application after he took a period of unauthorised leave to visit a relative overseas and subsequently filed his application 15 days late.

It’s great to be back after a break enjoying Regional Victoria and thank you to Chanelle, Scott and the team for doing such a fantastic job while I was away. It has already been a big week as school holidays finish and students head back to the classroom. No doubt there’s been a few tears shed by parents of those children starting school and even some tears of joy for parents of those returning!

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has awarded compensation to an employee unfairly dismissed for making “unsophisticated” comments after the company did not allow procedural fairness during the dismissal.

Well, it seems we are going to have to get used to interest rates continuing to rise if this weeks commentary is anything to go by. I’m sure you all felt the impact of the latest interest rate rise in some way. It’s another cost increase that will hit most businesses either directly or indirectly via the potential decline in consumer spending.

In late 2022, the Federal Parliament passed the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Amendment Act 2022, featuring some of the most significant changes to Australia’s industrial relations laws in the last decade.

I’ve spent a large part of the last week engaging with various stakeholders including Victorian Government Ministers and our members about the rising costs involved with running a business, escalating electricity and gas prices, and what the road to net zero looks like.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has awarded compensation to a truck driver who was unfairly dismissed for sleeping on the job after the company did not uphold procedural fairness during the dismissal.

I’ve been asked to address a number of different forums in recent weeks to give the Chamber’s view on the outlook for business for 2023 and the role of business in driving economic growth.

When a workplace has an employee with patterns of absence or excessive levels of absence, it can make it difficult for a team to perform at its best.

There goes summer for another year. Not quite the warm weather we had hoped for, but we look ahead to what autumn brings, particularly with the Moomba Festival, AFL Season, Grand Prix, and the highly anticipated opening of “& Juliet” not far away.

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, a global event that recognises the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, raises awareness about discrimination and drives gender parity.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia has denied a General Protections application with the Fair Work Commission (FWC) after finding that an experienced human resources manager was not forced to resign by her employer after her unpaid parental leave request was denied.