The 2025 Federal Election is looming with the date now fixed as 3 May.
Both the Australian Labor Party (Labor) and the Liberal-National Coalition (Coalition) have signalled that their respective campaigns will focus on addressing the rising cost of living. Employment and industrial relations have consistently been major points of contention between the two parties, and this election is no different.
As both sides prepare for the upcoming vote, Australian businesses and employees are closely watching the developments, knowing that the outcome will have significant implications for employment law.
In September 2024, the Parliament of Queensland passed legislation that substantially expands obligations on employers to identify, eliminate and prevent unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment, and other objectionable conduct from occurring in their workplaces.
In the current economic climate, employers are addressing business downturns by restructuring their business affairs, often resulting in role redundancies. While redundancies can be necessary for a business longevity, mismanaging the process can lead to further complications and significant unwanted cost.
Last night I attended the eightieth commemoration of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass at Sydney’s Great Synagogue. The events that occurred in Nazi Germany and its surrounding European countries, on Kristallnacht was the precursor to the worst atrocity committed by humans against one another in modern times, if not all times. How it could occur in the country that produced, Beethoven, Mozart, Freud, and many other intellectual giants remains one of the greatest questions. The answer I think is based on the concept of “Humans Rights” and what this means and what can occur when those rights are denied or not recognised in others.