News

Can an employer question an employee’s medical certificate?

An employee calls in sick on Friday and provides a medical certificate. Later that day, you see photos of them at a sporting event or social function. Can you challenge the medical certificate? The short answer is: sometimes, but employers should proceed carefully. Under the Fair Work Act, employees may be required to provide evidence that would satisfy a reasonable…
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FWC Finds Employee Was Dismissed Despite Employer Believing He Had Resigned

In Jung Hong v Green Drake Pty Ltd as Trustee for the Grey Unit Trust t/as Grey Farming [2026] FWC 1934, the Fair Work Commission found that an employer had dismissed an employee despite genuinely believing that he had resigned. The decision is a timely reminder that where an employee’s intentions are unclear, employers should take reasonable steps to clarify…
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Fair Work Commission dismisses unpaid trial worker’s dismissal claim

In brief The Fair Work Commission has dismissed a general protections application involving dismissal after finding that a worker who undertook an unpaid trial shift at a bakery had not been dismissed. The decision is a useful reminder that unpaid trials should be carefully limited and documented. It also highlights that, while general protections claims do not require a minimum…
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Fair Work Commission Minimum Wage and Award Wage Increase 2026

The Fair Work Commission has handed down its Annual Wage Review 2026 decision today, increasing minimum rates of pay from 1 July 2026. The National Minimum Wage will increase by 5.97% to: $26.44 per hour; and $1,004.90 per week based on a 38 hour full time working week. Minimum wage rates contained in modern awards will increase by 4.75%. Employers…
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Part-Time Redeployment Option May Prevent a Genuine Redundancy Finding

A recent decision of the Fair Work Commission is a timely reminder that employers must carefully consider redeployment options during restructures, including part-time alternatives proposed by employees. In Mr Marcus Watzlaff v Secure Parking Pty Ltd [2026] FWC 1408, Secure Parking made its full-time Compliance Manager role redundant as part of a cost-cutting restructure. The company redistributed the compliance duties…
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Junior rates to phase out for over 18s

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has recently abolished junior pay rates for young employees aged 18 to 20 in the retail, fast food and pharmacy sectors beginning from December 2026. What has changed? The FWC has determined that adult employees, defined as those aged 18 and over, should ultimately receive adult minimum wage rates. The transition will be staged through…
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