News & Events

National legal team celebrates promotions

July 28, 2021

Our national legal team is celebrating a series of promotions announced this week. Head of Consulting & Legal Services Michael Mead said he was delighted to acknowledge the significant contribution that each of the lawyers had made to Ai Group... Read more

FWC accepts Ai Group’s arguments and rejects the unions’ paid pandemic leave claims in the community services sector

May 3, 2021

On 24 December 2020, a Full Bench of the FWC rejected union claims to include new paid pandemic leave entitlements in the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SCHADS Award). Ai Group opposed the claim, on... Read more

New portable long service leave scheme in the community services industry in Queensland

April 29, 2021

A portable long service leave scheme for the community services industry commenced in Queensland on 1 January 2021. The new scheme allows community services workers in Queensland to accumulate service across the community sector as a whole. The scheme broadly... Read more

Award variations – overtime entitlements for casuals and related matters

April 21, 2021

The FWC has varied a large number of modern awards to clarify the manner in which overtime penalties for casual employees are to be calculated under each award. The awards have generally been varied to implement one of the following... Read more

Employee unfairly dismissed despite sharing confidential information with her partner

April 19, 2021

On 30 March 2021, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) handed down its decision in Ariana Goss v Health Generation Pty Ltd [2021] FWC 1751. The FWC considered whether the termination of Ms Goss’s employment with Health Generation Pty Ltd (Health... Read more

Company ordered to pay in excess of $3,700 for discriminating against a potential employee on the ground of age

April 15, 2021

On 24 March 2021, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) handed down its decision in Galstaun v Adept Underpinner Pty Ltd [2021] NSWCATAD 75. In the decision, Adept Underpinner Pty Ltd (Adept) was ordered to pay the Applicant (Mr... Read more

Majority support determination granted despite union’s “typographical error” in misnaming the employer

April 15, 2021

The AMWU made an application for a majority support determination (MSD) pursuant to section 236 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) in relation to employees of Kingspan Water & Energy Pty Limited (Kingspan) employed to perform factory... Read more

Amendments to the unpaid parental leave entitlements in the Fair Work Act

April 12, 2021

On 27 November 2020, amendments to the FW Act came into operation which enable eligible employees to take up to 30 days of their unpaid parental leave entitlement flexibly, including on a single day basis. The amendments also provide unpaid... Read more

Clerks Award – New flexibilities where employees are working at home

April 9, 2021

On 22 December 2020, the FWC varied the Clerks – Private Sector Award 2020 to implement some new flexibilities for employers and employees. The award variations were applied for by Ai Group and not opposed by the ACTU and the... Read more

High Court grants special leave to appeal Federal Court’s casual employment decision

April 4, 2021

On 26 November 2020, the High Court of Australia granted special leave to WorkPac to appeal the controversial decision of the Full Court of the Federal Court in WorkPac v Rossato. The case concerns the meaning of the term ‘casual... Read more

2018 in review: Key workplace relations developments

February 13, 2019

In this one-hour live and interactive session, three specialists from Ai Group Workplace Lawyers discussed the key workplace relations developments of 2018 (as well as a few on the horizon for 2019) and what they could mean for your business.... Read more

Still keepin’ it casual? – Casual Employment Part 2

October 27, 2018

Following on from our highly popular previous session, Ai Group's Head of Consulting and Legal Services and one of the team's senior lawyers conducted a live, interactive session to talk about two of the latest developments in this area: The... Read more

Keepin’ it casual? – Navigating the modern minefield of Casual Employment

October 1, 2018

Two of Ai Group's most senior lawyers cover the complex and frequently misunderstood minefield of casual employment. Key topics include: Casual employment – what it is (and isn't), and why it matters for your business; Engaging and terminating casual employees—... Read more

Contract Labour Licensing Law – Special Updates

September 27, 2018

In an important follow-up to our series of online events conducted late last year, Ai Group is presenting the latest update on the Labour Hire Licensing Schemes in South Australia, Queensland and Victoria. In case you missed the online event... Read more

Industrial Relations Essentials: What you need to know in 2018

August 27, 2018

In this live and interactive one-hour session, two of Ai Group’s most experienced workplace relations practitioners will consider the consequences for employers of 2017’s big ticket cases, and consult their crystal ball to discuss what they expect to be some... Read more

PIR (Policy-Influence-Reform) Forum

February 26, 2019

National PIR Conference | 3 and 4 June 2019 The Government has announced that the next federal election will be held in May and therefore Ai Group's 2019 Annual PIR Conference will be held shortly after the election. The debate... Read more

2019 Election Series: Workplace Relations in Focus

February 26, 2019

As we head towards the 2019 election, workplace relations issues continue to remain high on the reform agenda. In this special three-part online series, the Ai Group Workplace Relations Team will tackle the big ticket IR and workplace relations items... Read more