Employment and Workplace Relations Guide In Australia 2017

Herbert Smith Freehills’ Employment team has published their annual guide to Australia’s employment and workplace relations laws, and to recognise the nearly 15 years since the firm commenced publication, they look back at the major topics.

A decade in review – key changes in the industry

Reflecting on the last decade, the Employment, Pensions & Incentives Group have seen enormous changes in terms of the complexity and proliferation of Australian employment laws.

The has been a new surge of focus on the often complex interaction of domestic and international laws and contractual arrangements pertaining to international movement of staff.

This has included the harmonisation of much of the law relation to employment and work health and safety, and the industry has also seen increased regulation surrounding the hiring and remuneration of listed company officers.

The Guide to Employment & Workplace Relations in Australia 2017 

The Employment and Workplace Relations in Australia Guide 2017 (Guide) offers in-house counsel, HR, IR and safety professionals with a comprehensive, straightforward and up-to-date overview of all areas of employment, industrial and safety laws, both federal and state. The Guide is also a valuable for executives and managers who need or want to learn more about the law and other arrangements underpinning the employment of their people.

An extract of the Employment and Workplace Relations in Australia 2017 is available for download in the top left download box.

Some of the highlights from the Guide include:

• Focus on global mobility and expatriate employment and provides a list of contacts across our global employment team
• Updated chapters regarding union governance and the building and constructions sector
• Review of the key aspects of the Fair Work Act, including the National Employment Standards and the complex array of laws regulating enterprise bargaining and industrial disputes
• The Guide covers individual grievances against employers under the general protections provisions of the Fair Work Act, and deals extensively with termination of employment, discrimination, bullying and diversity
• There is also guidance on navigating areas such as employee privacy, superannuation, taxation, work health & safety and termination benefit limits for senior executives under the Corporations Act .

Watch our short video of contributors to the guide Partners Anthony Wood and Steve Bell, and Senior Associate Natalie Gaspar, outlining the seven top employment trends to expect this year. 

The Asia-Pacific Employment Law Guide 2017

Our companion Guide to employment laws across 21 jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region, the Herbert Smith Freehills Asia-Pacific Employment Law Guide 2016 is also available here.

The Asia Pacific Employment Law Guide 2017 will be available later in the year.

Obtaining a copy

If clients would like to obtain a copy of either the Australian or Asian employment law guides, they are available for purchase by emailing Tracey French.