To close out 2025, Russell Kennedy’s Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety team invite you to our yearly wrap-up event which will be held as a webinar event this year. The team will discuss some workplace trends and developments we have encountered during the year, highlighting issues to be aware of as we move into 2026.
Register to attend and gain a sharper understanding of current developments in the workplace relations field from the team at Russell Kennedy.
Hosted by Anthony Massaro (Principal), your presenters for the session will be Sara Ibrahim (Lawyer), Jack Kneale (Lawyer), Molly Lawlor (Lawyer) and Martine Rodger (Lawyer). Our broader team of Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety lawyers will also assist with Q&A throughout the session.
Topics include:
1. When is a resignation a resignation?
We have recently seen a number of interesting matters dealing with when a resignation can be considered to be a dismissal. Sara will discuss when a resignation is a constructive dismissal, when an employer should or should not rely on a resignation, and other questions around when a termination is at the initiative of the employer.
2. Political opinions, employment and the law: Lessons from Lattouf v ABC
There continues to be a level of tension between the rights of employers to manage their employees, and the rights of employees to express their political views on social media. One of the high profile cases of the year involved the dismissal of Antoinette Lattouf in connection with comments she made about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Federal Court ultimately found that the ABC dismissed Ms Lattouf unlawfully because of her political opinions. Molly will discuss the decision and the key takeaways for employers.
3. FWO v Woolworths & Coles - the Federal Court setoff decision
On 5 September 2025, the Federal Court of Australia handed down its decision in relation to underpayment claims made by employees of Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, finding that set off clauses are less effective than one might hope when there is an industrial instrument in play. Jack will discuss key takeaways from the decision for businesses who pay employees an annualised salary, with a focus on the court’s commentary on set off clauses in contracts of employment, and record keeping obligations for businesses.
4. Working from home – the aftermath of the Westpac decision
In 2025 there have been a number of decisions around an employee’s right to work from home, and an employer’s right to direct staff to work from the office. Most recently, in October 2025 the Fair Work Commission handed down a significant decision in favour of a Westpac employee. Martine will discuss the implications of the most recent decision, as well as some of the other lessons learned through the course of the year.
Who should attend this webinar:
CEOs / Principals, Executives, GMs, Human Resource / People & Culture.
Opportunity to submit your questions
You have the opportunity to submit questions before the webinar, which will be answered live by the team in the Q&A function during the session. Please submit any questions to events@rk.com.au. You will also have the opportunity to ask live questions in the Q&A portion of the webinar.
Webinar Details
We are utilising Zoom to run this webinar. Zoom is free to download and can be viewed from your PC/mobile device.
The live webinar is free to attend and attendees will be sent a link automatically to log into the live webinar when registered.
DATE: Tuesday 18 November 2025
TIME: 9.00am – 10.30am AEDT
COST: This webinar is free to attend but bookings are essential as places are limited. For more information, please contact our events team.
Registrations for this webinar are closed
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