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The Victorian Supreme Court has taken into account an employer's inaction in awarding damages of almost $600,000 to an employee who developed a severe psychological condition from "sustained workplace bullying" by her at times violently moody manager.

The federal government's bill outlawing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status is through parliament, including late amendments removing the usual religious organisation exemption for Commonwealth-funded aged care providers – but not when it comes to employment.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick will conduct an 11-month inquiry into the prevalence of discrimination in the workplace against women who are pregnant or returning to work after taking parental leave, the Federal Government announced today.

The Fair Work Commission is preparing for some 3,500 bullying-related applications annually under the federal government's IR bill passed by the House of Representative yesterday, while the Law Council of Australia has warned there is "real potential" for employees to use the bullying provisions to bring "unfair dismissal type proceedings".

New assistance for self-represented FWC parties; Virgin ground crew vote down agreement; Melhem's move into Parliament gets the green light; McCallum to discuss Fair Work Act review and what comes next; and Union says Medibank employees rejected deal over work-life balance.

The Fair Work Commission has castigated an employer for "one of the worst unfair dismissals on record" when it dismissed a long-serving employee with a 21-word text message.

Employers that have retrenched labour within the last year should not be able to hire overseas visa employees, while jobs should be advertised locally for a minimum of 28 days before they can be filled by overseas workers, according to the TWU.

A court has thrown out an unusual damages bid by an engineering company employee who claimed she was defamed when her employer sent an inter-office email to the workforce complaining about excess sick leave and lateness.

ASU urges Virgin ground crew to vote down offer; Employer fails to knock out award adverse action claim; and Court fines sham contracting retailer $166,848.

BHP Billiton has warned the federal government that it would be making "an unreasonable and unnecessary incursion" into business decisions if it proceeds with its proposal to extend the right to request flexible working arrangements, while new requirements to consult over roster changes would hamper the "agility" required by employers to respond to changes in operational needs or customer demands.