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 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.
