One of the nation’s most respected swimming clubs is embroiled in a bitter legal stoush with a former coach, amid allegations of underpayment, bullying and inappropriate comments towards young athletes. Melbourne Vicentre Swimming Club has produced a string of Olympic champions, including Mack Horton, Giaan Rooney and Michael Klim, but is now accused of underpaying its
As the superannuation guarantee increase is debated among politicians and the wider public, McDonald Murholme has voiced concern for the youngest Australian earners. The Abbott government froze the superannuation guarantee at 9.5 per cent during the 2014 term, but under current legislation this will rise to 10 per cent in July 2021 before rising by
The federal government will move ahead with plans to criminalise serious worker exploitation within the “next month or so”, as argument rages on about how to deal with Australia’s wage theft crisis. Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday confirmed Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter is drafting legislation which would criminalise worker exploitation, amid a push for
The $7.8 million underpayment scandal engulfing celebrity chef George Calombaris is symptomatic of the sheer complexity of Australia’s workplace laws, it has been claimed. But a workplace lawyer has called for even tougher financial penalties to stamp out wage underpayments. Ben Thompson, the co-founder and CEO of people management platform Employment Hero, applauded the Fair
A Melbourne-based employment lawyer says plans to safeguard religious freedom through the introduction of new laws have the potential to alienate minority groups should these laws come into effect. McDonald Murholme managing director Alan McDonald says Attorney-General Christian Porter’s plans to introduce a religious freedom act will create challenges within Australian businesses, noting that such
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Australia now has the world’s highest minimum wage. While this appears to be a positive step for low income Australian workers the increase in other factors such as taxes and the cost of living means that they do not reap the benefits of a higher minimum
If you’re starting a new job, there’s a good chance your employer will put you on a probationary period to make sure you’re the right fit for the role. Probation can also be a great way for you to test out a new role while establishing yourself as a valuable employee—but it’s important that you know about
The drawing of an inference of a conflict between the views of a Rugby Australia sponsor and those of one of the sporting body’s employees means there could be penalties imposed on Qantas under the Fair Work Act, argues one senior employment lawyer. In conversation with Lawyers Weekly, McDonald Murholme managing director Alan McDonald (pictured) said
Rugby Australia sponsors could face fines if a court finds they influenced the decision to sack Israel Folau, employment lawyer Alan McDonald says. Speaking to Sky News host Andrew Bolt, Mr McDonald says the Fair Work Act does not want external parties entering contracts of employment and taking away someone’s job. Mr McDonald says the
An employment law firm managing director has sounded the alarm on what’s being described as a recent spate of wage theft, with small businesses, particularly those in regional areas, being found guilty of underpaying their employees. McDonald Murholme managing director Alan McDonald said recent audits in regional areas such as Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat and Wollongong have indicated a significant amount
If you’re considering a new job, you might be more interested in what the role itself involves than what kind of employee you’ll be hired as. But the benefits, entitlements and conditions of a job can differ depending on whether you’re a casual worker or a part-time or full-time employee. We’ve asked an expert employment
As appetite for simplifying Australia’s workplace law grows following the election at the weekend, small business ombudsman Kate Carnell is preparing to hand the relevant incoming minister a case for overhauling unfair dismissal protections for small businesses. Speaking to SmartCompany on Monday, Carnell said provisions to protect small employers from unfair dismissal in the Fair Work Act aren’t working very well
Is terminating an employee based on expressions of religion legal? At this point, Israel Folau is probably more well known for the outrage caused by his Instagram summary of biblical doctrine than for his career in rugby. The long and ongoing drama of whether he will be fired for that social media post has become
An employment law firm has responded to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s first budget, saying it is set to benefit both SMEs and employees in a multitude of ways. Among last night’s budget delivery was a promise to cut SME taxes to 25 per cent and increase their access to finance with a new $2 billion fund. The instant asset write-off
By Trent Hancock The recent scores of reports relating to unpaid internships are indicative of the pressures on young people entering the workplace to gain industry experience. There was a survey commissioned by the Federal Department of Employment that revealed more than half of Australia’s young adults have completed unpaid work as part of an internship or job
A niggling tickle in your throat has developed into something more sinister: you’ve caught that cold, flu or undiagnosed viral thing that has been making its way around your open-plan office. You’ve got to call in sick. Or do you? There’s so much to do and there is nothing stopping you from responding to all
Like in many professional services industries, office romances are “quite common” in law. Lawyers Weekly spoke with a principal lawyer about some of the issues surrounding office romances, and how law firms can navigate such sensitive territory. Romance within law firms can be commonplace, McDonald Murholme principal Andrew Jewell surmised, because lawyers spend a lot
The recent Westpac v Deng decision acts as a warning to the big banks: follow the rules or risk being called out. In a hearing late last year, the Fair Work Commission ruled that Westpac banking employee Kefeng Deng should be reinstated to his original position after he was not afforded procedural fairness into allegations against him.
A manager at a McDonald’s franchise tried to ‘negotiate’ with disgruntled workers on Facebook, and his post went viral. Here’s a breakdown from an HR perspective. A snapshot of a post from a McDonald’s franchise manager, in which he threatens workers with restricted water and toilet breaks, has gone viral. The post is a case study in
As of 1 December 2018, the rules around flexible work requests have changed. Experts break down who this hurts and helps, how to reject a request, and why you shouldn’t. A new ruling by the Fair Work Commission means that, as of 1 December 2018, employers need to make a genuine attempt to reach flexible work agreements with their
