By Alex Millman and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal Last week, the Victorian Parliament passed the Long Service Act 2018 (the new LSL law), which will replace the current long service leave legislation in Victoria. Whilst much will remain the same, there are some key points of which employers in Victoria will need to be aware. […]
Parent company Craveable Brands says some restaurants will be plastic bag-free within a month. Red Rooster, Oporto and Western Australian fast-food chain Chicken Treat have begun to phase out single-use plastic bags across their 570 Australian restaurants. Parent company Craveable Brands announced today it would be removing single-use bags by no longer replenishing stock, with […]
Victorian Members: If you are one of our Victorian members, please note that the Victorian State Government is seeking views from the industry and wider community on potentially banning single-use lightweight plastic shopping bags. A number of states have already introduced similar bans (most recently Queensland) and the NRA strongly urges all Victorian retailers to […]
Tobacco Regulations 2017 will come into effect some with changes to price notices and e-cigarette retail outlets in Victoria. From 1 August 2017, the Tobacco Amendment Act 2016 will amend the Tobacco Act 1987 to regulate e-cigarettes in the same manner as tobacco products. The changes affecting price boards are summarised below; A price board […]
by Sid Sidhu and Troy Wild, NRA Legal A new Bill, introduced to Victorian Parliament earlier this month, proposes to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (‘the Act’) as well as some other legislation, including the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 (Vic). If passed, the new changes may take effect as soon as […]
by Alex Millman, NRA Legal Victorian Government announces worker mental health assistance program On 11 April 2017, the Andrews Victorian government unveiled its new program to assist employers in managing mental health in the workplace, WorkHealth. Launched jointly by Minister for Finance Robin Scott and Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley, WorkHealth includes an online […]
What a heartbreaking fortnight it has been for so many of you on the east coast of Australia. We have seen family homes, local schools, roads and local businesses decimated in many communities throughout Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. We want to iterate that we are here to assist those of you who’ve been […]
by Ben Desir, Workplace Advisor, NRA Legal An electrician has been brought before a Melbourne Magistrate to face charges under Victoria’s strict workplace bullying laws. In Victoria, persons who engage in bullying behaviour can be prosecuted under the Crimes Act 1958 (Crimes Act). The Crimes Act was amended in 2011 to make serious bullying a […]
by Victoria Hansen, Lawyer, NRA Legal The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) deployed an unannounced campaign in Ballarat this week to address concerns regarding potential non-compliance with Commonwealth workplace laws. The FWO campaign had a particular focus on businesses in the retail, fast food and hospitality industries and conducted more than 50 visits to retail businesses, cafes, […]
The thoughts of the NRA team are with all those members affected by recent severe weather that has impacted South Australia and parts of Victoria this week, and has forced many shops to shut down temporarily. Unfortunately, this type of weather is not uncommon in Australia leading up to summer. As such it is important […]
The Victorian Supreme Court found an abattoir business to have breached its duty of care to an employee’s health by requiring them to work 70 hours a week and be on call 24/7. Due to Castricum Brothers Pty Ltd cutting its workforce, Joseph Roussety was promoted to plant manager, increasing his hours gradually from 40 […]
Almost 20 new asylum seekers have found new jobs with Woolworths and more than 60 gained valuable work experience, after the Australian supermarket chain connected with a life-changing program from the Brotherhood of St Laurence. One of Woolworths’ newest employees recruited under the Given the Chance for Asylum Seekers program, Taj, was just 16 when […]
The Victorian State Government has commenced its small business regulation review to help identify barriers that are hindering growth and sustainability across the state. The review will be led by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, with a goal to reducing red tape and the regulatory burden on small businesses. Small businesses […]
Over the next two years, the Victorian Government will examine how regulation is impacting the state’s small businesses in three sectors of the state’s economy, first focusing on Victoria’s retail sector. The Victorian Government is looking at what they can do to cut regulatory burdens for small retail businesses. They want to know what specific […]
The Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and Minister for Employment and Public Transport, Jacinta Allan successfully launched the Melbourne Retail and Hospitality Strategy Year 2 Report on 7 April. Mr Doyle noted, “Employment in both our retail and hospitality industries is up; we gained eight per cent more hospitality outlets from 2013 to 2015 and the […]
The recent release of the February 2016 retail trade figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed flat growth in retail sales, although strong performance is still being recorded in some key divisions of household goods and clothing. As indicated in the graph below, the sector grew by 3.7 per cent nationally in trend terms, […]