Legal Alert

In the appeal decision of Orientile Pty Ltd v Carson Q Zhang [2026] FWCFB 162, the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) affirmed small businesses are subject to the same consultation obligations as large employers when undertaking the redundancy process. Genuine redundancy and consultation requirements As employers will appreciate, there are inherent legal […]

Key dates and commencement On 16 June 2026, the Victorian Government introduced the Equal Opportunity Amendment (Work From Home) Bill 2026 (Vic) (the Bill). If passed, the Bill is proposed to commence on 1 September 2026, with a delayed commencement date of 1 July 2027 for small businesses. The legislation would introduce significant changes for

Rawcorp Pty Ltd v MDP No 15 Pty Ltd [2026] QSC 38 – Wilson J, Supreme Court of Queensland, 19 March 2026 Earlier today, the Supreme Court of Queensland dismissed an application by a Contractor seeking to restrain a call on $740,779 in retention monies. The decision turned substantially on the construction of a bespoke

From 1 January 2026, the new mandatory merger control regime came into effect.  This means that businesses must notify the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of certain acquisitions that meet notification thresholds and wait for the ACCC’s approval before completing the transaction. Where the ACCC does not approve the acquisition, businesses must not complete

The Queensland Commission of Inquiry into alleged misconduct by the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) begins today, with observers intrigued at how far its reach will extend. The Inquiry will investigate the CFMEU’s dealings across major infrastructure projects, its financial practices, labour arrangements, and relationships with related parties. With the power to compel

This alert was written by Partner, Fiona Sears, Partner Justin McInally, and Senior Associate, Isaac Day. On 16 September 2025, the Queensland Parliament introduced the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products (Dismantling Illegal Trade) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 (Bill). The Bill brings in a raft of reforms to the existing tobacco laws in Queensland

In a significant ruling for class action practice in Australia, the High Court has unanimously held that the Federal Court cannot approve Solicitors’ Common Fund Orders (Solicitors’ CFOs) at the time of settlement or judgment where doing so would breach State laws prohibiting contingency fees. This overturns the Full Federal Court’s earlier decision, which had

On 1 July 2025, a number of important changes impacting the employment law landscape came into effect. Bronte Jackson, Associate and Ariane Hogno, Graduate set out some of the key changes below. National Minimum Wage On and from 1 July 2025, the National Minimum Wage and the national minimum award wages will be increased by

From 1 July 2025, the skilled visa income thresholds will increase by 4.6% to align with the changes to the annual Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings. The indexation changes will apply to the following applications: The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) This will increase from $73,150 to $76,515. The CSIT impacts nomination applications in the

This article was written by Managing Partner, Sam McIvor, and Associate, Bronte Jackson In a landmark decision, the High Court of Australia confirmed psychiatric injuries can lead to damages for employees in cases of breach of contract, overturning the previous position that such injuries were not compensable. Case background The case involved a former employee