Termination in Australia : the implications of changing the unfair dismissal and termination law

Australian law relating to termination of employment has changed dramatically over the past decades which has had subsequent effects upon the number of dismissal cases that have been heard by Fair Work Australia (FWA) and its predecessor,The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC). Whilst the changing laws have had a significant impact upon the number of dismissal and disputes being heard before the tribunals we must also take into account Australia’s economy as this has also had subsequent effects upon unemployment and consequently the number of termination cases. Since the introduction of the Fair Work Act 2009 we can see that there has been an increase in cases relating to unfair dismissal and disputes that have been heard before FWA. This increase has not only been caused by the implementation of the new law but also as a result of subsequent economic conditions such as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC.).