Employment Law

TERMINATION

Employees have well-established rights under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and State-based Industrial legislation to challenge dismissals that are harsh or unreasonable, or to bring claims where they have been subject to adverse action.

Unfair dismissal — strategic advice on preparing or responding to unfair dismissal applications, including jurisdictional objections, valid reason for dismissal, and procedural fairness requirements

General protections claims — advice and representation in general protections disputes involving adverse action, including dismissals and non-dismissal claims where workplace rights are involved

Redundancy — practical guidance on the legal requirements to terminate employment or implement genuine redundancies, including notice requirements, consultation obligations, and redundancy entitlements

Dismissal process and procedural fairness — advice on regulatory process, including show cause procedures, performance management, and the right to respond

Conciliations and Hearings — We regularly prepare documents for filing, and appear in conciliations, conferences and hearings before industrial tribunals on behalf of our clients.

WAGES AND WORKPLACE RIGHTS

Australia's workplace laws impose detailed and often complex obligations on employers regarding pay, entitlements, and the treatment of workers — and provide meaningful protections against breaches of those rights.

Wage underpayments and recovery — advice on identifying and resolving wage underpayment disputes, including back-pay, agreement interpretation, and navigating voluntary disclosure and remediation processes

Workplace rights and adverse action — advice on rights to take or not take industrial action, the right to make a complaint or inquiry, and protection against adverse action taken in response to the exercise of a workplace right

Award and enterprise agreement compliance — guidance on understanding and applying the correct modern award or enterprise agreement, including classification structures, penalty rates, allowances, and overtime entitlements

Same Job, Same Pay / Regulated Labour Hire Arrangement Orders — applications for regulated labour hire arrangement order can result in equalisation of wage rates across different employers on a site.

Fair Work Commission and court proceedings — representation in Fair Work Commission proceedings and, where necessary, in the Federal Court or Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia

INVESTIGATIONS

When a complaint or allegation arises in the workplace — whether involving misconduct, bullying, harassment, discrimination, or a breach of workplace policy — how it is handled matters enormously.

Independent workplace investigations — conduct of independent, impartial investigations into allegations of misconduct, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and breaches of workplace policy

Investigation design and procedural fairness — advice on structuring an investigation process that meets the requirements of procedural fairness, including the framing of allegations, the right to respond, and confidentiality

Advice to individuals — practical guidance for employees, managers, and executives who are the subject of, or a witness in, a workplace investigation, including advice on their rights and what to expect throughout the process

Post-investigation implementation — advice on the appropriate findings and outcomes following an investigation, including disciplinary action, policy reform, and steps to restore a productive and respectful workplace

Regulatory investigations — advice and representation in investigations conducted by external regulators or complaints bodies, including the AHPRA, the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and government departments