News and resources

For the first time, 16-year-olds in Europe were allowed to vote in the June 2024 election for the European parliament, and they turned out in droves. Where can 16-year-olds vote? Sixteen-year-olds can vote in a number of countries, including Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Germany, Malta, Nicaragua and Scotland. Now there is a […]

Recent changes to labour hire laws are designed to ensure labour hire workers get the same pay as the host company’s regular employees who are doing the same work. Legislation to stop use of labour hire to undercut permanent employees The changes are detailed in one of two pieces of Commonwealth legislation called Closing Loopholes, […]

Starting 1 October 2024, police insurance arrangements in NSW are changing. Police Blue Ribbon Insurance (PBRI) is being replaced by the Enhanced Police Support Scheme (EPSS), which introduces changes to Total and Permanent Disablement (TPD) coverage for officers. What is Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance? TPD insurance is often included as default cover in […]

It’s nine o’clock at night and you are relaxing at home watching a movie before heading to bed. Suddenly the phone rings. It’s the boss calling to discuss a meeting to be held tomorrow at work. You sigh – wishing you could disconnect from your work at this late hour – but you take the […]

Recently there has been a lot of publicity about new Commonwealth laws, taking effect toward the end of 2023, aimed at preventing and addressing sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. Recurring themes in this publicity are the stimulus for these laws, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020); and the phrase […]

Employers found liable for industrial manslaughter could face up to 20 years in jail under tough new negligence laws to come into operation in NSW in 2024. New industrial manslaughter laws following worksite deaths NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis has said she will bring in new industrial manslaughter laws which will significantly increase penalties […]

We often add an emoji to our emails and text messages to bring a bit of levity to otherwise dull communications, but beware – icons such as the thumbs up, smiley face or gun could land you in trouble with the law. Legal impact of using emojis An emoji is an image used in texting […]

The recent unanimous High Court ruling declaring Qantas’s actions illegal in sacking nearly 1700 workers and outsourcing their roles is very significant, although possibly not for the reasons most people might think. Outsourcing as a strategy to avoid industrial action The judgment does not mean employers cannot reduce the size of their workforce by outsourcing […]

While Covid lockdowns are a thing of the past, many Australians have subsequently opted to not return to the office. The latest statistics show that on average, city workers spend one third of their work week at home, with many working from home full-time. Companies introduce mandatory office days This leaves offices largely deserted, but […]

Unfair contract terms can include non-disparagement clause Soon there will be 50 million reasons to be wary of the non-disparagement clause in contracts, as the federal government has increased penalties under Australian consumer law for breaching unfair contract terms. This can involve including a controversial non-disparagement clause in a contract, aimed at stopping people saying […]

The federal government is moving to protect foreign workers and new migrants who are at risk of exploitation by bringing in new laws making it a criminal offence to coerce a person into breaching their visa conditions. New laws to protect foreign workers Employers or agents who coerce migrants or foreign workers into breaching their […]

Lawyer’s use of AI program confirms its unreliability A New York lawyer was embarrassed to admit using artificial intelligence (AI) program ChatGPT when preparing his courtroom legal argument, after it was exposed to have cited several court cases that didn’t exist. When the judge and opponent lawyers couldn’t find the cases, the lawyer discovered ChatGPT […]

Weighing up the pros and cons of a case, discarding irrelevancies, assessing the likelihood of statements being the truth or a lie… it’s all in a day’s work for a judge in a court. But could computers replace judges, if programmed correctly? Could a computer weigh the evidence and decide whether the defendant is guilty […]

What is a zombie agreement? The term “zombie agreements” is used to describe ageing workplace agreements that will be declared deceased by the end of 2023. Fortunately, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will be pursued and devoured by the living dead when you turn up for work. Any workplace agreement that was made before the […]

British and US surveys have found that since Covid lockdowns, when many more people started working from home, the number of businesses that undertake workplace surveillance and monitor employees’ activities is estimated to have more than doubled. A UK Trades Union survey found one in seven workers said surveillance had increased since the start of […]

Hollywood movies tend to depict evil human traffickers as dastardly foreign men with big moustaches who kidnap or use unscrupulous trickery to lure unsuspecting women into a sordid life of sex slavery in far-off lands. However, a new study has exploded those common myths of human trafficking in Australia. Women often play leading role in […]

Police and security services are making ever more use of facial recognition technology, which can identify individuals via CCTV by scanning an individual’s face and matching it to images held in a database. No dedicated laws in Australia for facial recognition technology Facial recognition technology (FRT) can be useful, but Australia does not have clear […]

Did you know that only one person makes the decision in Australia to send troops to fight wars? That decision may be based on fear of imminent attack, in response to a request for support from an ally, a first strike against a perceived enemy, or perhaps just to keep a powerful ally on side. […]