Recent legal reforms in Victoria in relation to freedom of religion, discrimination and suppression practices have led many faith-based organisations to reflect on the best way to balance their religious beliefs and legal obligations.

In this webinar, Moores’ Practice Leader, Skye Rose, will speak with Emily Howie, General Counsel and Director of Dispute Resolution at the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC), and answer your burning questions about what these changes mean in practice.

To assist with moderating the discussion, attendees are invited to submit questions when registering.

Due to significant interest in the session, there will be limited opportunities to ask live questions during the webinar, so please register and submit your questions no later than 5pm on Thursday 18 August.

We will endeavour to answer as many of your questions as possible.

Join Practice Leader, Amanda Junkeer, and Lawyer, Sophie Cusworth, in this recorded webinar, where we will cover:

• Taking the first steps to review expired enterprise agreements before being forced to do so.
• Understanding your obligations under an expired agreement where the award is more beneficial.
• Framing the business case for waking up the Zombie agreement.
• Negotiation pre-requisites and process steps.
• What to expect as you negotiate and seek approval of a new agreement.

Link to register for the recording are below.

Recent debate and legal reforms in relation to freedom of religion, discrimination and suppression practices have led many faith-based organisations to consider the extent to which they can maintain their organisational values and culture consistent with their legal obligations.

In this complementary webinar, Moores will provide guidance to faith-based organisations across Australia on their key legal obligations when it comes to:

• hiring, firing and managing staff and volunteers under state and federal religious discrimination laws;
• the provision of services (including counselling and pastoral care);
• change and suppression practices (in Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland).

Using practical case studies, Practice Leaders Skye Rose and Rebecca Lambert-Smith, and Associate, Alex McKinlay, will help you navigate this complex and ever-changing landscape, and provide tips for maintaining organisational values consistent with relevant legal obligations.

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Please contact us for more detailed and tailored help, or if you would be interested in accessing a recording of this webinar.

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While government mandates may be changing, maintaining vaccination rates against COVID-19 may nevertheless be a priority for many workplaces, especially in higher risk settings.

In this webinar, we will explore what options employers have to implement their own policies requiring vaccination in the workplace. Introducing and maintaining a vaccination requirement is not straightforward, and will involve considerations of risks to safety in the workplace and whether a vaccination requirement is reasonable and lawful in the circumstances.

If you are asking any of the following questions:

1. If the government mandate is removed, can we rely upon an existing policy requiring vaccination?;
2. In the absence of a mandate, can we introduce a new policy requiring vaccination?;
3. We have a policy, but do we have to continually assess safety risks to justify that policy?;
4. How do we assess our safety obligations in our workplace?;
5. Do our workers have the right to refuse to work if their co-workers are not vaccinated?; or
6. What exceptions should we consider if we decide to require vaccination against COVID-19?,

then this webinar is for you.

On 1 July 2022, a new Ministerial Order 1359 (MO 1359) will come into effect in Victoria, replacing Ministerial Order 870.

All schools need to be compliant with the new Order as a condition of ongoing school registration.

The new MO 1359 contains new requirements which have not been required before (such as new record keeping standards) and expands the requirements in familiar areas (such as staff training).

MO 1359 contains many elements which directly implement findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, including:

• empowerment of children and young people;
• supporting and encouraging cultural rights for Aboriginal students, children and young people; and
• upholding equity and being equipped to respect diversity and respond to the needs of all students, including students with disability, from CALD backgrounds and LGBTIQ+ students.

Join Practice Leader Cecelia Irvine-So and Lawyer Grace Appleford as they step through the new requirements of MO 1359 in a practical and informative way.

Feel equipped to go back to your school following the session with a clear plan for implementing these critical new standards. And, of course, ensure that your school embeds child safety and wellbeing as its top priority.