Australia: Employee Benefits & Compensation

NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers who experience traumatic incidents during their service may be entitled to workers compensation for psychological injuries including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Recent NSW reforms have changed the claims landscape, making early medical evidence and proper documentation critical for successful claims.

Injured workers in New South Wales often wonder whether they can continue receiving workers compensation benefits while returning to their job. The workers compensation scheme actively encourages safe return to work where medically appropriate, but the process involves careful management of medical certificates, suitable duties, injury management plans, and rehabilitation providers to ensure both recovery and proper benefit calculations.

Understanding the return to work process after a workplace injury in NSW can be complex. This article explains the obligations of injured workers, insurers, and employers during the workers compensation return...

The Fair Work Commission has announced significant changes to employment law taking effect from July 2026, including increases to the National Minimum Wage and award wages, adjustments to unfair dismissal thresholds, and new requirements for superannuation payments. These changes will impact employers across Australia, requiring careful review of obligations under modern awards and enterprise agreements to ensure compliance and avoid penalties.

Recent decisions of the Fair Work Commission (Commission) offer timely and practical guidance for employers navigating one of the most sensitive aspects of the employment relationship — termination.

The Fair Work Commission's 2026 Annual Wage Review has delivered significant changes to Australia's minimum wage landscape, including a 4.75% increase to modern award rates and a structural adjustment to the lowest pay classifications. These changes will reshape wage structures across industries and create important compliance obligations for employers navigating enterprise agreements, annualised salary arrangements, and award-based remuneration systems.

In a significant decision for employers and bargaining parties, the Full Court has reaffirmed that the text of a modern award prevails over historical practice, with important implications for how public holidays and shift arrangements are applied.

Employees can bring underpayment claims under three different frameworks depending on the source of their entitlement: an employment contract, a modern award or an enterprise agreement, each with its own process, forum and remedies available.

From 1 July 2026, Australian visa application charges and salary thresholds for employer-sponsored workers are set to increase through annual indexation. While the visa fee increase is expected to be around 3%, the Core Skills Income Threshold will rise from $76,515 to $79,499, creating timing and budgeting considerations for employers preparing sponsorship applications. Should employers rush to lodge before the deadline, or does incomplete documentation pose greater risks than higher costs?