By Brian AJ Newman LLB Principal Employment & Human Rights Advocate Workplace bullying is more than just "part of the job" Every year, thousands of Australian workers experience behaviour that leaves them anxious about going to work. Some are humiliated in front of colleagues. Others are isolated, undermined, subjected to malicious rumours or targeted by repeated intimidation. Many employees assume that once workplace bullying occurs, the Fair Work Commission can order compen

Whether your matter involves unfair dismissal, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, victimisation, general protections, workers' compensation or a human rights complaint, your credibility may become your most valuable asset—or your greatest liability. The Truth Doesn't End When the Hearing Does Many people mistakenly believe that once a tribunal or commission hearing concludes, their evidence disappears with it. It does not. In reality, every answer given un

The Courts Have Spoken. The Value of Human Dignity Is No Longer Measured by Yesterday's Standards. For many years, victims of workplace discrimination and sexual harassment faced an uncomfortable reality. Even when they proved their case, compensation for the humiliation, distress and psychological harm they suffered was often modest. Awards between $12,000 and $20,000 became the accepted norm despite the devastating consequences discrimination can have on a person's career,

If Someone Tells You "Discrimination Cases Only Pay $20,000" – They're Living in the Past One of the most persistent myths in Australian employment and discrimination law is that successful discrimination complaints only attract modest compensation. For years, employers, insurers and even some advisers routinely pointed to historical decisions where compensation for hurt, humiliation and distress fell between $12,000 and $20,000. That argument is now fundamentally outdated. I

For many workers, lodging an application with the Fair Work Commission can feel like a major milestone. After days or weeks of stress, gathering evidence, preparing forms, and deciding whether to pursue an Unfair Dismissal or General Protections claim, pressing the "submit" button often brings a sense of relief. However, lodging your application is not the end of the process. In reality, it is only the beginning. One of the most common questions workers ask is: "What happens

Australia's Strength Lies in Its Diversity Recent public commentary has once again revived the notion that Australia should embrace a singular cultural identity, often described as a return to a "traditional" or "monocultural" Australia. Such arguments are neither new nor particularly constructive. They overlook a fundamental truth about our nation: Australia has never been a monoculture. Long before European settlement, this continent was home to hundreds of Aboriginal and T