The Sparke Cast

Ian Bennett, Ben Gottlieb and Josephine Lennon explain what constitutes Modern Slavery, its relevance and developments in Australia, including the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth), requirements and deadlines to lodge statements, supply chain risk management processes, and principles that overlap with other workplace legislation.

Roland Hassall and Bill Kritharas discuss key employment and safety developments in 2020, from recent changes to work health and safety laws, industrial manslaughter, to the Productivity Commission’s recommendations regarding mental health, and more.

In this podcast Jackson Inglis, who leads our Brisbane Workplace team, is joined by Barrister Craig Eberhardt to discuss the 2016 Dreamworld incident, where four patrons were sadly killed. Craig, who represented a witness at the Coronial Inquest in 2018, offers his unique perspective on the matter and discusses some lessons learned from this tragic accident.

In this podcast, Mark Doepel and Kiley Hodges discuss the Australian BI test case decision, the implications, and the comparison with the UK test case. 

In this podcast, Felicity Edwards and Ian Bennett from our Workplace team, along with Chantal Tipene from our Government team and specialising in privacy law, discuss reasonable and lawful directions to employees and the requirements that must be satisfied in order to collect personal and sensitive information. They also explore recent case law, provide practical guidance on the applicable legal principles, as well as strategies in balancing employee rights with employer obligations. 

Brendan Charles and James Johnson discuss employment and workers compensation issues arising from a recent case before the Fair Work Commission, including practical advice about the need for a reasonable and measured process to achieve the desired outcome; improve employee performance or defend claims and allegations that may be made by an employer.

On 1 July 2020, Sparke Helmore Lawyers and Laycock Burke Castaldi joined forces under the Sparke Helmore banner. In this podcast, Partners Alan McKelvey, Julien Castaldi and Catherine Wilkinson discuss the merger and how bringing together two of Newcastle’s finest law firms has enhanced the breadth and depth of service to our valued clients across the Hunter Region and beyond.     

In our next podcast in the Evolving Workplace series, Partners Luke Holland and Catherine Wilkinson discuss employment issues on the horizon for the workplace as we look to the new normal post COVID-19 hibernation.

In this podcast, Edward Osborne and Colin Pausey discuss global privacy and cyber risk, drawing on the experiences gained by Edward during his time overseas and since he has returned to Sparke Helmore.

In this podcast, James Johnson and Maxine Feletti provide a workers’ compensation liability perspective on COVID-19. Topics discussed include whether COVID-19 will be an injury or disease; when an employer is liable if a worker contracts the virus; liability and insurance issues with WFH arrangements; and top tips for transitioning workers back into the workplace - while also managing those who remain at home.