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28 Sep, 2026
Public sector employment is no ordinary employment. What does that mean for your rights at work? -
10 Sep, 2026
In the modern workplace, the idea of having one employer and a single role is increasingly unusual. The gig economy, the cost of living and ... -
02 Jul, 2026
In 1994, the Australian Capital Territory became one of the first places in the world to enact a standalone law to protect public sector ... -
04 May, 2026
With the federal budget imminent, there is growing concern about the prospect of increasing redundancies in the Australian Public Service. ... -
17 Feb, 2026
What APS graduates and new public servants need to know about their employment rights Every February brings a great migration to Canberra – ... -
09 Dec, 2025
What will 2026 bring for the APS? ‘Tis the season. Following a busy year for the public sector, including an election and a number of major ... -
11 Nov, 2025
New reforms to the Public Interest Disclosure Act aim to enhance whistleblower protections in the public sector, fostering accountability ... -
30 Sep, 2025
The most recent State of the Service report, published by the Australian Public Service Commission late last year, suggests that bullying ... -
26 Aug, 2025
Introduction Earlier this year, a law firm in Melbourne was ordered to pay over $50,000 for a range of exploitative labour practices ... -
04 Aug, 2025
The National Anti-Corruption Commission’s finding late last month that a senior public servant acted corruptly in getting her future ... -
24 Jun, 2025
Labor's upcoming industrial relations reform will reshape workforce mobility, impacting both public and private sectors, despite direct ... -
29 May, 2025
What Will the New Albanese Government Mean for Public Sector Industrial Relations Reform? Had Peter Dutton been elected Prime Minister ... -
30 Apr, 2025
‘Competence not perfection’: When Does Poor Performance Justify Dismissal? To err is human; to forgive, divine, Alexander Pope famously ... -
07 Apr, 2025
Explore the legal implications of Peter Dutton's proposed job cuts and work-from-home reversals in the Australian Public Service. ... -
05 Mar, 2025
Public servants can participate in elections, but must navigate potential conflicts and adhere to impartiality rules. Learn about the ... -
03 Feb, 2025
Discover the legal implications of using past criminal convictions in employment decisions, and learn about protections under Australian ... -
28 Jan, 2025
Explore Australia's evolving culture of overwork, examining legal frameworks and notable cases that challenge the reasonableness of ... -
24 Jan, 2025
Explore key developments in APS employment law, upcoming challenges, and reforms for 2025, including workplace protections and industrial ... -
23 Jan, 2025
Explore the complexities of public sector impartiality, balancing political rights of employees with the need for a neutral public service ... -
21 Jan, 2025
Whistleblower protections in Australia require urgent reform to enhance public sector integrity. A comprehensive overhaul is essential for ... -
20 Jan, 2025
Explore the implications of Elisha v Vision Australia as the High Court examines employer duties in disciplinary processes and the ... -
21 Jun, 2024
Much concern has been expressed of late about conflicts of interest in the public sector consulting, following controversy at some of ... -
08 Apr, 2024
Each February brings a great migration to Canberra, as new graduates enter agencies across the Australian Public Service. Share houses are ... -
08 Apr, 2024
Explore recent developments in employment law that enhance workplace flexibility and work-life balance, including flexible working requests ... -
04 Mar, 2024
Public servants can now seek compensation for workplace injuries without risking their rights under anti-discrimination laws, following a ... -
05 Feb, 2024
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong -
21 Dec, 2023
Explore the key issues shaping the public sector in 2024, from industrial relations reforms to workplace safety and whistleblower ... -
22 Nov, 2023
The recent furore around the conduct of Home Affairs boss Michael Pezzullo contained, for employment lawyers at least, a rather large dose ... -
06 Nov, 2023
Employers now have a legal duty to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination, ensuring safer workplaces for all. Learn how to comply and ... -
12 Sep, 2023
Last week, Employment Minister Tony Burke introduced the so-called “closing loopholes” industrial relations reform to Parliament. ... -
18 Jul, 2023
Public servants face a dilemma on LinkedIn between expressing personal achievements and maintaining impartiality, raising questions about ... -
19 Jun, 2023
Australian law has prohibited discrimination on the basis of various personal attributes in the workplace for decades. The first federal ... -
09 Jun, 2023
According to data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), Australia’s present national gender pay gap is 13.3 per cent. That ... -
08 May, 2023
There has been much media attention in recent months on the case brought by Sally Rugg against the federal government and teal independent ... -
31 Mar, 2023
Are you under surveillance at your workplace? Wherever you work – whether at a law firm, in-house or in government – there are laws that ... -
27 Mar, 2023
A British judge once observed that the law should be wary to impose restrictions on workers outside the hours of their employment, “the ... -
20 Feb, 2023
Many of us are partial to a glass of wine or a cold beer in the evening or over a weekend. Some of us might partake in drug use from time ... -
15 Dec, 2022
‘Tis the season. A bumper year in Australian public life is winding down and many Canberrans (ourselves included) are looking forward to ... -
15 Nov, 2022
Most of us have had a least a taste of flexible working over the past two-and-a-half years. -
07 Oct, 2022
The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers – William Shakespeare’s Henry VI[1] -
26 Sep, 2022
Change is in the air. -
03 Aug, 2022
Last month, the Victorian government announced its intention to restrict the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases involving ... -
06 Jul, 2022
The concepts of procedural fairness and natural justice are central to our legal system. In a famous British case, it was remarked that ... -
07 Jun, 2022
After nine years of Coalition government, last month’s election of Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party will bring significant policy change in a ... -
04 May, 2022
“Because we have not created,” Paul Finn, an academic and judge, once wrote, “a separate caste of public officials, because we have not ... -
14 Apr, 2022
“The parties cannot create something which has every feature of a rooster, but call it a duck and insist that everybody else recognise it ... -
06 Apr, 2022
Being fired is a traumatic experience. This is particularly the case in the Australian Public Service – given the specialisation of public ... -
08 Mar, 2022
There is no place, in the public service or otherwise, for workplace harassment. Following heightened public attention on sexual harassment ... -
02 Feb, 2022
Each new year brings both change and continuity. In the Australian Public Service, January and February typically herald the arrival of ... -
22 Dec, 2021
What can an employee be made to do? -
07 Dec, 2021
This time last year, in our pre-Christmas column, we proposed an APS workplace wish list for 2021. Over the subsequent 12 months, some of ... -
04 Nov, 2021
Public sector employment is an interesting legal construct. On one hand, governments are like anyone else – they have legal personality and ... -
22 Oct, 2021
When is an intern an employee? John Wilson and Kieran Pender explore the potential legal pitfalls of the unpaid legal work experience ... -
07 Oct, 2021
In 2017, we wrote a column with a provocative title: “Does Comcare allow the Commonwealth to discriminate with impunity?” Our concern arose ... -
03 Aug, 2021
Long waits for security clearances are a common gripe among candidates for public service jobs. -
12 Jul, 2021
Legal professional privilege is a venerable principle. With antecedents in 16th century Elizabethan England, the concept — that there can ...