Decisions of the Fair Work Commission and changes to the law on dismissal. What the case decided, when it takes effect, and where to read the source.
A Full Bench has thrown out a decision that found a Canberra teacher's dismissal was harsh, ruling the original Commission member relied on a witness statement never put into evidence and misread the school's conduct code.
An analyst programmer made redundant as Allianz shifted work offshore failed to convince a Full Bench his dismissal case deserved another look, with the tribunal finding no arguable error in the original decision.
A worker who tried to swap her unfair dismissal application for a general protections claim on the same form has lost her appeal, after a divided Full Bench found she could not do both at once.
A mine worker sacked for threatening a colleague during a heated argument over a two-way radio has been ordered reinstated, with the Commission finding the dismissal disproportionate to his conduct.
A KFC Mudgee assistant manager accused of stealing soft drinks, taking long breaks and breaching social media rules was sacked for serious misconduct, but the Commission found the dismissal was still harsh, unjust and unreasonable.
A long-serving mechanical fitter on the Snowy 2.0 project was sacked for skipping isolation steps during a routine pipe inspection. The Commission found the breach was real but his dismissal was still harsh and unreasonable.
An engineer who had already resigned was summarily sacked after a co-worker secretly viewed his insulting WhatsApp messages about a manager. The Commission found the dismissal unfair and ordered compensation.
A university professor who was reinstated after an unfair dismissal finding tried to also get back pay for the months she was out of work. The Full Bench agreed the original decision contained a factual mistake but still refused to let her appeal.
A coal mine operator accused of intimidating a colleague was reinstated after the Fair Work Commission found his employer lacked a valid reason to sack him. A Full Bench has now dismissed the company's appeal.
A university professor dismissed over failures to properly obtain patient consent for cancer research has lost his bid to appeal, with the Full Bench finding his dismissal was not unfair.
A worker at a truck detailing business was told she was no longer welcome at work through a foul-mouthed text message. The Fair Work Commission found the dismissal was harsh, unjust and unreasonable after the employer failed to respond to the case at all.
A Services Australia customer service worker who agreed to end her employment after missing call centre targets has failed in her bid to appeal the finding that her dismissal was not unfair.
A software developer who insisted his contract let him work from home permanently was dismissed after refusing to attend the office three days a week. The Commission found the direction was lawful and reasonable, and the dismissal was not unfair.
A former Aldi store assistant who relied heavily on AI to draft his unfair dismissal case was ordered to pay some of Aldi's legal costs, after he ignored repeated warnings that he was not eligible to bring the claim at all.
A financial controller sacked over a tax office payment her employer never actually checked had happened has been found unfairly dismissed, with the Commission criticising the company's failure to verify its own allegations.
A sessional university lecturer argued she was only dismissed when she got a separation certificate months later, but the Commission found her job had actually ended at the close of the previous trimester, making her claim too late.
A disability support worker who was sacked after a client's carer reported flirtatious behaviour and an intimate shaving incident has failed in her unfair dismissal bid, with the Commission finding her evidence unreliable.
A long serving Woolworths warehouse worker who was repeatedly absent due to his own illness and his son's struggles was sacked, and a Full Bench has now confirmed his dismissal was not unfair.
A casual mine worker argued she was pushed out while dealing with family matters overseas, but the Commission found her employer genuinely no longer needed her role and had not breached its consultation duties.
A Sydney amusement centre supervisor was sacked for serious misconduct after her family pushed back on repeated requests for proof of her grandmother's death. The Commission found there was no valid reason for the dismissal and ordered compensation.
A long serving bottle shop worker was sacked after lowering the store's roller door during an armed theft incident. The Commission found her conduct did not justify dismissal and ordered her reinstated.
A university professor of 27 years was sacked for alleged serious misconduct after 33 allegations were raised against her. The Commission found most were not proven and ordered her reinstated to her old job.
A worker who lost his unfair dismissal case tried to appeal, arguing the Commission got the facts wrong and ignored his arguments. The Full Bench refused to even let the appeal proceed.
A long-serving software developer flooded his employer with AI-drafted complaint emails after a workplace dispute spiralled. The Commission found his sacking was not unfair, even though some of the misconduct allegations against him failed.
A maintenance fitter at a WA mine site was sacked after a second safety breach following a formal warning. The Fair Work Commission found the dismissal was not unfair, even though the company could not produce its own safety procedure.
After a water utility worker stopped responding to his employer for weeks despite repeated welfare checks, the Fair Work Commission found he had abandoned his job rather than been dismissed.
A workplace safety company tried to argue it was too small to face an unfair dismissal claim, but repeatedly failed to hand over the records needed to prove it. The Commission threw out its objection.
A warehouse and manufacturing assistant was sacked five days after receiving a 'Final Written Warning' that never actually said his job was at risk. The Commission found most of the misconduct claims against him weren't proven and ordered his employer to pay compensation.
A casual gym worker quit less than an hour and a half after his boss said he would not be rostered until he signed a new staff manual. The Commission found he had not been forced out and threw out his general protections claim.
A long-serving Mars Australia team leader was sacked over a bungled food safety response to a punctured box of mints. The Fair Work Commission found she was not responsible for the failures and ordered her reinstated.
A meatworks employer's appeal succeeded after the Full Bench found the Commissioner had misread a colleague's evidence as secondhand when it was actually a direct account of racist comments. The reinstatement order was scrapped and the case sent back to decide the remedy afresh.
A Services Australia employee who resigned while unwell won unfair dismissal compensation, but the Full Bench overturned that result, finding he had genuinely chosen to resign and had not been forced out by his employer's conduct.
A communications manager resigned after her employer's board failed to remove a director who had filmed her inappropriately, and the Commission found she was forced out rather than choosing to leave.
The federal government has announced a new specialist court for workplace disputes, designed to work alongside the Fair Work Commission. Consultation on the court's design starts this year.
A warehouse storeperson was told her job was redundant, then walked out mid-shift after she pushed back. The Fair Work Commission found the redundancy was not genuine and ordered the company to pay compensation.
