Legal Updates

By Yasmine Healy, Managing Director of ClinLegal. Yasmine is an experienced lawyer and chartered secretary, who established ClinLegal after seeing too many unfair work claims against her clients. ClinLegal provides legal, compliance and human resources expertise to healthcare professionals in your industry. We were recently engaged by a highly successful, city-based dental practice that had […]

By Madeleine Brady, Workplace Compliance Advisor at ClinLegal. Madeleine holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Commencing 12 March 2014, significant changes were made to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). These changes were the product of privacy law reform that began in 2004. In light

As of 1 January 2014, the Fair Work Act has introduced several anti-bullying provisions. The Fair Work Commission now has the authority to hear claims about ongoing workplace bullying and may make an order to stop the bullying from continuing. It is a good time for employers to review their anti-bullying policies and procedures to

When an employee takes something that is owned by the employer, or another employee, without permission and uses it for their personal benefit, this is stealing from the workplace. Examples include taking practice supplies and using them for personal use at home, or refunding patient transactions and pocketing the refund. All forms of stealing have

All the rules and regulations governing us today can make us groan at the thought of yet another Policy! Yet without a Social Media Policy in place, you’re likely to find yourself in a difficult place to take action when an employee posts something harmful to your Practice. Social media is an everyday communication tool

Australian workplaces reflect the cultural diversity of our nation. Within your practice, you may have employees of varying religious and cultural beliefs all working together. Sometimes it may not be clear what is acceptable regarding the practice or assertion of someone’s religious belief while they are at work. You can minimise the risk of an

By Rebecca Hyde, Workplace Compliance Advisor at ClinLegal in Adelaide. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Hons) and a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology). Enacting redundancies within the practice can be a stressful task. To minimise the risk of an unfair dismissal claim from a redundancy that is not genuine, one requirement

By Rebecca Hyde, Workplace Compliance Advisor at ClinLegal. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Hons) and a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology). What are the odds of an employee on a work trip suffering injuries during sexual intercourse in a Practice-designated motel and suing the employer for compensation? In the following case

Some tasks within a healthcare practice may require a particular skill set to perform them. Practices may wish to utilise the skill of particular professionals by contracting them to perform work within their practice, rather than have them on the payroll as an employee of the business. This may be appealing to employers as there

Summary All complaints regarding harassment and bullying should be treated as serious and hence should be considered as quickly as possible to prevent further discourse within the workplace. When investigating a complaint ensure that you document EVERYTHING through written record of any witness statements, personal accounts of events, and communication between parties to the dispute.