Blowing the Whistle in the Public Sector

In 2003, Andrew Wilkie, who was then a senior government analyst, rocketed into the national consciousness by blowing the whistle on support for military action against Iraq. Wilkie is now a member of federal parliament and has championed protection for whistleblowers, particularly in the public sector. What the law says This was enacted by Parliament […]

Procurement Fraud: Hitting Organisations Where it Hurts

Procurement is big business in Australia – there are sections of government devoted solely to procurement and large organisations have policies and procedures in place to regulate procurement practices. It’s a huge area of growth but in recent years it’s also been increasingly exposed to abuse by unscrupulous employees and operators looking to gain significant […]

5 Steps to Managing Difficult People in Mediations

Workplace mediations can be valuable tools for expelling conflict from the workplace without resorting to litigation. There are many possibilities for their use, including resolving conflicts between employees, managing an employee’s work performance, and introducing operational changes. But mediations can swiftly sail into hot water when one of the parties becomes difficult to deal with. […]

From Cyberspace to Head Space

So much of our lives are lived online these days, and even workplace bullying has made the leap to cyberspace. As one recent case before the Fair Work Commission (FWC) illustrates, employers need to be vigilant about what happens both in the office and online, as bullying spills beyond the boundaries of the physical workplace […]