We are all being impacted in different ways by Covid 19. We are under pressures in running our businesses that have never occurred before. For many businesses making small savings day to day may well be the difference between continued operation and having to throw our hands in the air and give in.  In these difficult times, we would all be forgiven for thinking that now is not the time to introduce new penalties, however

On 21 July 2020 the Federal Government announced the future plans for the Jobkeeper wage subsidy. The current program will conclude at the end of September 2020, and an alternative version of the Jobkeeper wage subsidy will then commence for employers who meet the ongoing eligibility criteria. The most significant changes are the reduction in the monetary value of the wage subsidy and the move to a two-tier system.  One of the major criticisms of

Providence HR is proudly an employer who supports Defence Reservists.  In our experience, the benefits far outweigh the responsibilities, even though having your valued employees absent from time to time can be a challenge. The Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001 (Protection Act) provides protection to Reservists from discrimination, disadvantage or dismissal for providing Defence service.  The Act requires Employers to provide time off from work to Reservists for service including for training. The Defence

A decision of the Federal Court released on 21 May 2020, has further complicated our understanding of what is a casual employee and what does the 25% casual loading compensate employees for. Readers may recall an earlier Federal Court case involving the labour hire company Workpac. This case initially called into question if casual employees, in some circumstances, could be entitled to paid leave in addition to the 25% casual loading.  As a consequence of

Unfair dismissal applications to the Fair Work Commission are sharply rising. The substantial increase of 60% against the same time last year should not be surprising to experienced practitioners. For those of us who have been through previous economic events which have affected employment security and led to substantial terminations of employment, we have seen this trend before. These employees have nothing to lose by making an application and potentially something to gain, if only