Workplace Relations Update 2025 – the year ahead
This year’s update from the national Workplace Relations Team of HFW Australia provides a collection of insightful pieces.
Bulletin
15 April 2025
2024 brought with it a raft of changes, and now that those changes have commenced, 2025 promises to be the year in which the reforms are put to the test.
This update deals with key issues raised by the amendments, together with changes to discrimination and safety laws, and significant judicial decisions in this space.
Have You Under-Estimated the Risk of Multi-Employer Enterprise Bargaining
One of the key changes made to the Fair Work Act 2009 by the Fair Work Legislation Amendment Act 2022 was the introduction of the multi-employer…
Redundancy Risks – Two Cautionary Tales for Employers
Employers seeking to restructure their businesses, particularly in an increasingly complex financial and operational landscape, should take care…
Wage Theft Has Been Criminalised: Is Your Business at Risk?
As of 1 January 2025, it is a federal criminal offence for employers to intentionally underpay their employees. In short, employers who…
Around the Grounds – Discrimination Reforms in Focus
The laws relating to discrimination in connection with work have been the subject of a range of developments in recent years, particularly with…
Privacy in the Spotlight
It has been an interesting 12 months in the world of privacy law, with some interesting decisions and a tranche of legislative reforms. There is no…
Disconnecting in a Connected World: The Effectiveness of the Australian Right To Disconnect
In August 2024, the introduction of the right to disconnect saw Australia join a growing number of countries providing employees with a statutory…
Will WFH Become a Right for All Employees or Is It Just Hype?
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home arrangements were considered a perk, primarily available to a select few in managerial or…
Questions Left Unanswered: When Will an Employer Be Liable for an Employee’s Psychiatric Injury?
In December 2024, the High Court concluded an almost decade long legal saga over an employee’s dismissal by reinstating an award of damages for…
Internal or External Workplace Investigation? – That Is the Question
Employers faced with employee misconduct will often ask: should my business conduct a workplace investigation internally or engage an independent…
Developments in Workplace Safety: Psychosocial Risk Reforms in Australia
There is a growing body of research that indicates that workplace stress, bullying, harassment, and lack of support can significantly affect…
Gig-Nificent Gains: New Era of Protections for Gig Workers
Recent legislative changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) have come into effect that provide protections for which re “gig economy workers”, which…
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Editors
INSIGHTS
Briefing
Compliance with the Revised Port Marine Safety Code – Navigating the New Requirements
The PMSC, the guide to Good Practice on Port and Marine Facilities and Port Good Governance Guide are the standards to which all UK ports and…
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Briefing
New Brazilian Laws on Choice of Forum May Have an Impact on Transnational Reinsurance Disputes
Two new Brazilian Laws, No. 14,879/2024 and No. 15,040/2024, have introduced significant changes that together may affect the choice of law and…
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Briefing
The Dynamic Landscape of Employment Law in the ADGM: The Impact of the Whistleblower Protection Regulations 2024
The Abu Dhabi Global Market has introduced significant new Whistleblower Protection Regulations, with key provisions which came into effect in July…
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