Today’s Fair Work Commission decision to increase minimum wages by 1.75% in three stages from 1 July will cost Australian businesses more than $1.4 billion and is a dangerous misstep as we attempt to recover from the employment and economic impacts of COVID-19.

Yesterday we took a strong stand. Combining forces with the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), we sent a message to the Victorian Government: ease restrictions or thousands of Victorian businesses will be forced to close or relocate interstate. It is the first time we have collaborated like this with Ai Group.

Melton City Council has just welcomed its 800th member to its Venture Melton Business Network (VMBN)! The network’s professional development, support and networking opportunities have helped many local City of Melton businesses grow, learn, and achieve their goals.

UPDATE: Workpac has made an application to the High Court seeking leave to appeal the recent Full Federal Court decision regarding Workpac v Rossato.

While essential to controlling the recent spike in infections across Melbourne, today is a huge blow for thousands of businesses and their workers in Covid-19 hotspots forced to shut down their businesses again for the next four weeks.

Businesses that sustained damage during last summer’s bushfires have until the end of the month to apply for a $50,000 Small Business Bushfire Recovery Grant.

A worker has unsuccessfully argued he should not have been dismissed for failing to follow his employer's safety procedures, which were updated after a fatality, because instructions he received from his supervisor showed it was safe to enter an exclusion zone.

With the novel coronavirus creating massive economic disruption and heightening geopolitical tensions - the world seems to be more fragile than ever. Yet, there are lessons we can take from this.

The spotlight has been on Victoria over the past few weeks and not for the reasons we had hoped. As a result of increased infection rates, and on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, we have all had to take some steps backwards to hopefully move forward.

Your input and experience in these challenging times helps ensure federal and state governments are aware of how business is faring through the COVID-19 crisis and responding to changes in trading restrictions.

The week beginning 6 July has seen new restrictions come into play to combat the rising level of COVID-19 cases in Victoria – metropolitan Melbourne in particular. Here's what you and your business need to know.

Throughout June the Victorian Chamber’s Workplace Relations team assisted members to understand these changes and important decisions handed down by the Fair Work Commission (the “Commission”).

In February 2020, the Morrison Government released the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Bill 2020, which allows eligible employees more flexibility in how they receive their Government Paid Parental Leave. The Bill received Royal Assent on 16 June 2020 and the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Act 2020 commenced operation on 1 July 2020.

As we’ve said all along, there are two crises at play here. One, the devastating health crisis, and the other, the distressing business and jobs crisis.

In a recent decision, the Fair Work Commission (the “Commission”) found that a bistro forced an employee to resign because of a course of conduct including advertising her job while she was still employed.

Here is everything you need to know about the new JobTrainer scheme and the extensions to the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees (SAT) subsidy program.