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) 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

What a year! As this is my last message for 2022, it seems only fitting to end the year on a positive note, with news that office occupancy in Melbourne’s CBD is climbing as Victoria continues its recovery.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has held that a Sydney Trains employee is to be reinstated after he was initially accused of assaulting a 14-year-old female student on a train platform.

Well, we didn’t get the outcome that we wanted for business with Federal Parliament passing the Industrial Relations Reforms Bill last week. So, we will now be ensuring we support you and your business to understand the impact of the changes and how you can navigate them.

The Victorian Chamber will partner with Jobs Victoria and Youth Activating Youth (YAY) to improve pathways for multicultural youth facing barriers to employment.

The Federal Court of Australia has held that a resources company should have paid untaken personal leave to 20 employees whose jobs were made redundant in 2020.

One of the great things about Australia is that we live in a democracy. We all had the chance to vote on the weekend and we congratulate Premier Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party on what was a decisive win in the Victorian Election.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has upheld the dismissal of a FIFO mine worker who was terminated after he abandoned his employment to return home without notifying the company.

Not every business has the in-house expertise to manage certain HR issues as they arise. It’s now easier to access HR support from experts as you need, when you need.

This Saturday Victorians will go to the polls in what is shaping as a critical election for our business community after the many challenges of the past three years.

Differences of opinion and disagreement occur in almost any work environment or context.