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310 articles are classified in All Articles > 2020 coronavirus pandemic > Policy


Banker having a lend on 100% WFH request: FWC

A bank manager has failed to establish that his employer lacked reasonable business grounds for refusing his request to work solely from home to aid his injured yoga instructor partner's recovery as she conducted 15 high-intensity lessons per week.

$8K to worker sacked for getting "demonic" COVID-19 jab

A Newcastle-based church unfairly summarily dismissed a worker when it took the view that no-one vaccinated against COVID-19 could work for it because it viewed the inoculation as "the world's largest ever untested medical experiment", and retrospectively applied the policy to the worker without warning.


Police commissioner's vax mandate unlawful: Court

Queensland's departing police commissioner failed to properly consider the human rights implications of two ultimately unlawful vaccination mandates issued at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Supreme Court review has found.

Wharfies unfairly sacked over vax refusal: FWC

The FWC has ordered compensation but declined to reinstate 24 DP World wharfies sacked in 2021 for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, finding that although the dismissal process was bungled, the workers "significantly contributed" to the situation.

Unvaccinated worker awarded $55K compensation

The FWC has rejected an employer's argument that commissions should not be included in calculating compensation for an account manager found to have been unfairly sacked after refusing to get a COVID-19 jab.

Pay discount upheld for drinking, smoking teacher

A teacher who smoked and lifted a cask of wine above his head to drink from its tap during a video meeting to discuss online learning during a COVID-19 lockdown has failed to overturn a decision to dock his pay for a year.

Large disability bias payout for "excluded" teacher

A tribunal has awarded $236,000 in damages, plus potential further lost earnings and interest, to a long-serving language teacher who developed a psychological injury when his employer "excluded" him from the workplace for two years after he suffered a debilitating spinal stroke.

Treasury outlines lessons from JobKeeper

JobKeeper kept people in work and prevented widespread business failures during the coronavirus pandemic, but in future crises the Government should consider improvements, including a tiered wage subsidy, according to Treasury's evaluation of the landmark scheme.

Vaccination refusal not a repudiation of contract: FWC

Australia’s largest family-owned office supplies company unfairly sacked an account manager when it claimed she repudiated her contract by refusing to get a COVID-19 jab, the FWC has found.