Employment law changes range from major reforms through to smaller yet vital concerns that happen every year. This seminar encapsulates the significant issues that will impact the landscape and will ensure that you are on top of the key challenges and risks. Take a comprehensive overview of the post Covid legal landscape, analyse the psychosocial risks in the workplace, enterprise bargaining intricacies and the major impact of underpayments and payroll compliance.
4.30pm to 5.15pm Payroll Compliance (Underpayments) Matters: What have been the Key Issues and Takeaways
- Identifying the causes of non-compliance with industrial instruments and employment laws
- Understanding employer accountability and the implementation of governance frameworks to minimise non-compliance risks
- Responding to the regulator and potential enforcement action
Presented by Ruth Rosedale, Partner, King & Wood Mallesons; Rising Star, The Legal 500, Asia Pacific, Australia, Labour and Employment 2022
3.45pm to 4.30pm Responding to Threats of Protected Industrial Action during Enterprise Bargaining
Australian employers are increasingly being exposed to well-planned and orchestrated union campaigns for increases in wages and conditions of employment through enterprise bargaining.
- Explore what can be done within the framework of the Fair Work Act and the Fair Work Commission and to plan for enterprise bargaining
- Analyse your rights, obligations, and options within the Fair Work Act provisions
- How to ensure you have a have a well thought out plan to respond to these challenges
Presented by Simon Billing, Director, S Billing and Associates
2.00pm to 2.45pm Managing the Post COVID-19 Workplace
- Overview of the post-COVID legal landscape including:
- Removal or winding back of public health orders and vaccine mandates
- Discuss employer powers in the post-COVID context including:
- Vaccinations
- Obtaining and storing medical information
- Directing an end to WFH
Presented by Sam Pack, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Chair:
Renae Harding, Partner, Jackson McDonald
2.45pm to 3.30pm Managing Psychosocial Risks in the Workplace
- Personal and corporate duty, obligation, risk and liability as to psychosocial risks and hazards in the workplace
- The current Australian work health and safety regulatory framework, and the forecast for the Australian workplace
- Fair Work risk and liability, particularly with respect to the general protections regime and anti-bullying jurisdiction
- The role of workplace culture and the current climate: some specific psychosocial risks arising from the pandemic, and initiatives to prevent and manage those risks
- Essential risk management: key steps to identify, assess and control the risks, and to test those mechanisms
- Protecting the workplace and avoiding liability: initiatives to prevent and deal with psychosocial hazards, including best practice policies, training, workplace investigation and culture
Presented by Natasha Leedman, Partner, Sparke Helmore
Description
Attend and earn 3 points in Competency Area 4: Substantive Law
This program is based on WA legislation
3.30pm to 3.45pm Afternoon Tea
Presenters
Simon Billing, Director, S Billing and Associates
Simon combines over 20 years of employee relations experience in a range of industries including health, education, mining, oil & gas, shipping and maritime, agribusiness, telecommunications, retail, property, engineering and construction with 16 years in private legal practice, specialising in employment, industrial relations and safety law. Simon is recognised for his strategic IR insight and skills and as a pre-eminent safety practitioner. Simon currently represents a range of clients in industries including mining, engineering and construction in defending a number of contentious safety prosecutions in the Western Australian courts. Simon advises a range of public and private companies across a variety of industry sectors including mining companies, a number of major services business involved in the asset management sector (i.e. power stations, motorways and other infrastructure), construction companies and construction industry contractors and a major hospitality and entertainment group with respect to all aspects of workplace law, from employee discipline issues and termination of employment (unfair dismissals, general protections and discrimination claims), advice on complex transfer of business issues, advice on IR strategy and enterprise bargaining, as well as advice and representation in regulatory investigations into safety incidents and prosecutions. Simon holds a Bachelor of Arts from UWA and Master of Law and Legal Practice (Hons) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Renae Harding, Partner, Jackson McDonald
Renae Harding practises in all aspects of workplace relations and safety offering expertise across all aspects of employment, industrial relations and occupational safety and health laws, both in the private and public sectors. The nationalisation of workplace relations and safety legislation together with her previous experience working on both employment and safety related matters in NSW, VIC, SA, NT and Qld mean that Renae is able toprovide assistance not only in Western Australia but throughout Australia. Renae is known and respected for her ability to swiftly identify the issues, provide clients with clear advice that is easy to understand and then work with clients to develop response strategies that address both the client's legal and commercial objectives. This has resulted in her becoming a trusted advisor to many clients and HR and Safety advisors who will call Renae for advice as issues arise. The added advantage of this approach is that it will often enable the client to resolve the issue before it progresses to a formal claim. Understanding your business and the challenges your business faces is critical to ensuring that our legal advice and recommendations meet your needs. Recognising this Renae is often out on site conducting inspections, meeting with relevant personnel, conducting site training, both safety or employment related, or liaising with regulatory authorities such as WorkSafe, Energy Safety, Resources Safety and the Fair Work Ombudsman. Whether you are looking for tactical guidance during union negotiations, assistance drafting employment contracts and policies, representation during unfair dismissal proceedings or guidance in dealing with and responding to a critical incident, you can be assured that Renae has the expertise to assist.
Sam Pack, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Sam has a broad practice which includes public law, criminal law, and industrial and employment law. From 2016 to 2022, Sam was employed at the State Solicitor’s Office where he acted as counsel in a wide range of civil and criminal matters at both the trial and appellate level, including complex regulatory prosecutions, criminal appeals, judicial review applications, merits review applications, civil disputes, and coronial inquests. In 2022, he appeared twice as junior counsel in the High Court in constitutional matters. Immediately before joining the Bar, Sam practiced extensively in public sector industrial relations and employment law. He has also previously undertaken a secondment at the Corruption and Crime Commission.
Natasha Leedman, Partner, Sparke Helmore
Natasha Leedman operates a private consulting business providing specialist advice and representation in workplace law for both corporate and individual clients. Specifically, Natasha provides front-end advisory work and conducts litigation on state and federal workplace relations law, equal opportunity and discrimination law, work health and safety, vocational regulation, privacy, and is also experienced in freedom of information matters. She has strong experience in working across some key sectors including transport, energy and resources, technology, government, financial and professional services, construction, property, manufacturing, health and education. Natasha has over 15 years' collective experience working in the banking and finance, and government, sectors as well as in private practice, including a secondment to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (now Fair Work Commission). In her most recent role, Natasha led the Perth Industrial Relations and Employment Law team in a leading national firm.
Ruth Rosedale, Partner, King & Wood Mallesons
Ruth Rosedale is a Partner in the King & Wood Mallesons Employee Relations & Safety team where she specialises in all areas of workplace relations and employment law. She represents clients in a wide range of industries including mining, agribusiness, manufacturing, food and beverages and financial services. Ruth provides advice to a national and international client base having worked in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth throughout her career. Ruth has significant in-house experience as a senior lawyer at well-known Australian financial institutions. Ruth's experience includes advising on global business sale and purchase arrangements on employee-related issues and integration, executive termination and remuneration, the application of industrial awards and agreements, workplace compliance reviews and regulator interaction, strategic industrial relations advice (including disputes and enterprise bargaining), employment related grievances, and disputes and litigation (including unfair dismissal, general protections, discrimination and harassment). Ruth also guides clients through workplace investigations into allegations of breach of employment obligations, whistle blower complaints, and bullying and harassment. This includes advising on appropriate disciplinary outcomes, workplace culture reviews and remediation of identified compliance concerns.
