On 28 October 2022, a Commission of Inquiry into Moira Shire Council was appointed under the Local Government Act 2020 following the murder of a Council employee by a co worker. The Commission’s Report was released and tabled in Parliament earlier this month by the Minister for Local Government.
The Report describes significant governance failures by the Council and its administration, including in relation to the management and performance of its CEO in ensuring the health and safety of its employees. The Report further identified how the Council’s failure and neglect have adversely affected Council staff and the community more broadly. Additionally, the Commission concluded that the employee’s death may have been prevented if the Council provided a safe and healthy workplace.
As a result, The Report recommended the dismissal of the Council until October 2028, which was approved by the Victorian Government on 7 March 2023. There have also been calls for the management at Council and any person who had contributed to the toxic workplace outlined in the Report to be dismissed.
These tragic circumstances serves as a timely reminder to employers in all sectors (public and private), that good governance and HR management are essential in all workplaces, and health and safety is paramount.
On Wednesday 29 March 2023 at 12.30pm, David Sztrajt, Partner and Nikola Prestia, Senior Associate, will be running a free 1 hour webinar discussing the key employment law lessons arising from this matter, as well as an employment law ‘refresher’ on the following topics:
- Responsibilities of officeholders, including managers and CEOs;
- When and how to stand down employees for misconduct;
- Best practice for internal and external investigations;
- Tips on how to conduct disciplinary processes;
- Terminating employees on Workcover; and
- General protections and discrimination risks.
This webinar is specifically tailored for managers and human resources practitioners from local government, the public sector, and is also relevant to the private sector.
Our webinars are delivered free and online, we encourage questions from participants at any time during the webinar. We also run polls and questionnaires to keep you engaged and interacting.
Event Details:
Delivery: Online via GoToWebinar
Date: 29 March 2023
Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Cost: Free
Our seminars, webinars and workshops are for the benefit of those working in organisations who are seeking learning and development opportunities in employment law and workplace safety. As such, we do not allow competitors to attend our seminars. HR Legal reserves the right to cancel the registration of those who may be a competitor to our organisation. Please note that if we identify that your organisation offers similar services to ours we will cancel your registration.
