A prominent Melbourne Queens Counsel has called upon the Australian Government to detain Imams and persons caught photographing public monuments.
In a posting to his website dated 8 July 2005, Peter Faris QC called for the implementation of wartime legislation similar to that established during the Second World War.
“Wartime legislation like this is now necessary”, wrote Mr Faris. “Mullahs or Imams or whatever who preach or violence of Jihad should be detained.”
Mr Faris is a prominent Melbourne barrister and former Chairman of the National Crime Authority during 1989-90. He is an expert in criminal and computer law. In the past, he has worked as a criminal lawyer for the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and is a founder of the Fitzroy Legal Service.
Mr Faris was recently quoted as suggesting that torture of terror and criminal suspects was acceptable. His comments were described by the Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, Lex Lasry QC, as “bizarre” and a “ludicrous concept”.
More telling than Mr Faris’ comments on his website were comments made by readers supporting his stand.
One contributor under the nickname “Gravelrash” has suggested that “some ozzie Mozzies should be in Baxter, for the sake of national security”.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Friday, July 08, 2005
425 Words of Wisdom
Observations on Section 106
Imagine you have been working in the same company for 20 years. You have worked unpaid overtime for at least 5 hours a week. You have developed a strong competency in your field and have worked with a range of managers, colleagues and subordinates.
Then after all this, a new owner takes over the company. There is a restructure. You are given your marching orders. You might be made to feel so uncomfortable that you will want to resign. You might be offered a fairly ordinary redundancy package.
What should you do? Who can you turn to? What remedies does the law provide to you?
One option is to claim that your employer breached its employment contract with you. It will be necessary for you to prove exactly what the contract is, how it was breached, what damages you have suffered and how these damages are connected to the breach. A tall order.
You might decide to try and claim just for the unpaid overtime. But how do you calculate it? And what records do you have of the time you worked there? Did you keep a diary for all those years? Did you work this overtime knowing that one day you might make a claim?
For long-term workers who get shafted, perhaps the best remedy is provided by Section 106 of the Industrial Relations Act. This particular remedy is broad, flexible and grants the NSW Industrial Relations Commission broad powers to remedy an unfair situation.
The unfair contracts jurisdiction has grown dramatically since it was introduced in 1959. Back then, it was used to protect the terms and conditions of contractors such as milk vendors and construction industry workers and tradesmen. Today, it is used as a general purpose remedy for a range of employment situations. In 2000-01, some 26% of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission workload was taken up with s106 matters.
Similar legislation also exists in Queensland. There are also similar provisions in the Commonwealth Workplace Relations Act, though these are somewhat more limited.
In NSW, you have to bring your claim within 12 months of your contract being terminated. This is a strict time limit and cannot be extended by the Commission. SO if you think you have been treated unfairly by your employer, the time to act is now.
The Howard Government is hoping to replace state industrial relations systems with a single federal system. This could spell the end of unfair contract claims. You therefore must act now if you think you have a claim.
Imagine you have been working in the same company for 20 years. You have worked unpaid overtime for at least 5 hours a week. You have developed a strong competency in your field and have worked with a range of managers, colleagues and subordinates.
Then after all this, a new owner takes over the company. There is a restructure. You are given your marching orders. You might be made to feel so uncomfortable that you will want to resign. You might be offered a fairly ordinary redundancy package.
What should you do? Who can you turn to? What remedies does the law provide to you?
One option is to claim that your employer breached its employment contract with you. It will be necessary for you to prove exactly what the contract is, how it was breached, what damages you have suffered and how these damages are connected to the breach. A tall order.
You might decide to try and claim just for the unpaid overtime. But how do you calculate it? And what records do you have of the time you worked there? Did you keep a diary for all those years? Did you work this overtime knowing that one day you might make a claim?
For long-term workers who get shafted, perhaps the best remedy is provided by Section 106 of the Industrial Relations Act. This particular remedy is broad, flexible and grants the NSW Industrial Relations Commission broad powers to remedy an unfair situation.
The unfair contracts jurisdiction has grown dramatically since it was introduced in 1959. Back then, it was used to protect the terms and conditions of contractors such as milk vendors and construction industry workers and tradesmen. Today, it is used as a general purpose remedy for a range of employment situations. In 2000-01, some 26% of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission workload was taken up with s106 matters.
Similar legislation also exists in Queensland. There are also similar provisions in the Commonwealth Workplace Relations Act, though these are somewhat more limited.
In NSW, you have to bring your claim within 12 months of your contract being terminated. This is a strict time limit and cannot be extended by the Commission. SO if you think you have been treated unfairly by your employer, the time to act is now.
The Howard Government is hoping to replace state industrial relations systems with a single federal system. This could spell the end of unfair contract claims. You therefore must act now if you think you have a claim.
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