Victorian Public Sector Employment and OHS Year in Review 2024/2025

Join us for our 6th annual Year in Review webinar, presented by the VGSO's Workplace Relations and Occupational Safety team. We will discuss many of the important employment, industrial relations, and OHS decisions of 2024 as well as key workplace developments and trends that should be on your radar in 2025.

This event will run for 1.5 hours, including a Q&A. We look forward to seeing you there.

Attending solicitors may be eligible to claim 1.5 CPD Unit in Substantive Law.

When

1.00pm to 2.30pm, Wednesday 12 Mar 2025

Where

Online

Register now

Overview

Some of the matters we will cover include:

The new wage theft laws effective 1 January 2025 and key compliance decisions

  • Dorsch v Head Oceania Pty Ltd [2024] FCA 162 (liability) and Dorsch v Head Oceania Pty Ltd [2024] FCA 484 (penalty)
  • Fair Work Ombudsman v Commonwealth Bank of Australia [2024] FCA 81
  • Fair Work Ombudsman v Sushi Bay Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 3) [2024] FCA 869

Key High Court decisions

  • Breach of contract: Elisha v Vision Australia Limited [2024] HCA 50

Key unfair dismissal and general protections decisions

  • General protections and future rights:
    • Qantas Airways Limited v Transport Workers' Union of Australia [2023] HCA 27 and subsequent decisions, including Transport Workers' Union of Australia v Qantas Airways Limited (Compensation Claim) [2024] FCA 1216
    • Dabboussy v Australia Federation of Islamic Councils [2024] FCA 1074
  • General protections and decision-makers:
    • Atkins v North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency Ltd [2024] FCA 686
    • Pilbrow v University of Melbourne [2024] FCA 1140
    • Laing O'Rourke Australia Management Services Pty Ltd v Haley [2024] FCA 1323

Key Enterprise Agreement decisions

  • Breach of Enterprise Agreement: Australian Salaried Medical Officers' Federation v Peninsula Health [2023] FCA 939 (liability) and Australian Salaried Medical Officers' Federation v Peninsula Health (No 3) [2024] FCA 1255 (penalty)

Enterprise bargaining and the new intractable bargaining regime:

  • Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police v Police Federation of Australia & Ors [2025]FWC 1
  • Transport Workers' Union of Australia v Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd t/a Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd [2024] FWCFB 287

Developments in discrimination and sexual harassment

  • Including sexual harassment class actions against Rio Tinto and BHP and developments in Victoria regarding non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment matters

Key Victorian OHS prosecutions and important takeaways for duty holders

  • Including the decision of KDR Victoria Pty Ltd (Yarra Trams) v Victorian WorkCover Authority [2024] VCAT 659 regarding HSRs and their powers

Presenters

Frances Anderson, Assistant Victorian Government Solicitor

Dana Wintermantel, Lead Counsel

Veronica Belot, Lead Counsel

Kerry Maikousis, Lead Counsel

Jeremy Cousins, Lead Counsel

Michael Carrick, Acting Managing Principal Solicitor

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