We're in a new financial year, which means many reference points relevant to employment law will alter, because of annual indexation and changes to the law.
Here are some of the most important changes applying from 1 July, 2017:
| Salary cap for unfair dismissal: | $142,000 (up from $138,900: employees paid more than $142,000 base salary per annum, and not covered by an award, cannot claim unfair dismissal - base salary does not include 9.5% superannuation and at-risk remuneration, but does include the value of other guaranteed monetary or non-monetary benefits |
| Filing fee for dismissals, general protections and anti-bullying applications: | $70.60 (up from $69.60) |
| Compensation Limit for dismissals | $71,000 (6 months' remuneration - up from $68,350) |
| National Minimum Wage: | $694.90 per week (up from $672.70 per week) or $18.29 per hour (up from $17.70 per hour |
| Award Minimum Wage: | All award pay rates increased by 3.3% effective 1 July |
| Superannuation Guarantee Percentage: | $52,760 per quarter - $211,040 per annum (earnings above which are not subject to compulsory contributions) |
| Redundancy tax concessions: | In a genuine redundancy payment, $10,155 plus $5,078 per completed year of service, is tax free |
| Eligible Termination Payment cap: | $200,000 (concessional tax treatment below this amount, highest marginal tax rate above) |
| Fair Work Information Statement: | This must be given to all employees on commencement of employment. View the updated version for 2017-18 |
| Point for attention: | Beware of paying less than the National Minimum Wage to any employee not covered by any age or disability-related percentage rate |
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
