Unions say they are closely watching former Greens leader Bob Brown's High Court challenge to Tasmania's anti-protest laws, which has seen the federal and four state governments – three of them Labor – lining up to defend the legislation.
A full Federal Court has upheld the Australian Defence Force's right to sack an outspoken army reservist over his "extreme" and "wholly unacceptable" social media comments about Islam and a transgender colleague.
A top-tier law firm sought to block the Fair Work Commission from hearing a general protections involving a dismissal application from a former partner, arguing that his partnership was terminated rather than his employment.
The UFU's proposed High Court bid to overturn the CFA legislation is "misconceived and likely to fail", according to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash, who is confident the new law will survive any challenge.
The Federal Government has told the High Court that the Queensland Government's argument against a union challenge to legislation removing Queensland Rail workers from the federal IR system would thwart the operation of the Constitution's corporations power.
A Fair Work Commission full bench has ruled that Fair Work Act provisions requiring state governments to consult with unions over proposed redundancies are unconstitutional, rejecting the AWU's attempt to distinguish a similar High Court finding.
The Queensland Government has foreshadowed that it will argue for a new test for what constitutes a trading corporation, when the High Court later this year hears a union bid to ensure Queensland Rail workers remain covered by the Fair Work Act despite the state government's de-corporatisation of the rail authority.
The Queensland Government has repealed its requirement for unions to conduct a ballot of members before engaging in any political campaigning worth more than $10,000.
The Federal Circuit Court has ruled that there is no unfettered right to freedom of political expression in dismissing a federal public servant's application for a declaration that any finding that she had breached the APS code of conduct for tweeting her opinions would breach her implied constitutional rights.