A corrupt culture at Parkville Youth Justice Centre Guards at a Melbourne youth prison are bribing teenage inmates with drugs, pornography and extra phone time to protect themselves from violent assaults by its worst offenders. Two of our clients, former staff at the Parkville Youth Justice Centre, came forward to share their story with The […]
Former prison guard wins payout after being assaulted on the job Michael Parker has not set foot behind prison walls for three years. He can’t – the memories of the brutal assaults and vulnerable teenagers threatening to take their own lives are still too fresh. The former youth corrections officer has lifted the lid on […]
Victoria Police officer Matthew Cocks strikes court win A police officer who took on his bosses over allegations they were bullies has reached a confidential settlement days before the case was meant to go to trial. Former Victoria Police officer Matthew Cocks had been a career policeman, working his way up through the ranks over […]
Bullying ‘rife’ among police More police and emergency service workers said they were bullied at work in the past year than any other public sector employees. Almost a fifth of more than 9000 police and emergency services workers who responded to the People Matters Survey – released last month by the Victorian Public Sector Commission […]
Calls to overhaul laws so police injured at work can sue for damages Pressure is growing on the government to urgently reform legislation that prevents police officers injured at work from suing for damages. Recent court rulings have found that Victoria Police officers may not be owed a duty of care by the state, leaving […]
WorkSafe crackdown on building site falls after spike in injury claims Construction companies are facing increased scrutiny from the state’s workplace watchdog and brickies launching legal action over devastating falls amid a spike in injury claims. Bricklayer Nicholas Hopkins is preparing to launch legal action against his former employer after he landed on his head […]
Victorian universities fork out thousands of dollars in WorkCover claims More than 180 staff and students were injured at Victorian universities last year, with institutions forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars in WorkCover claims as a result. Exposure to chemicals, vehicle incidents and explosions were among the causes of injuries across the state’s […]
High Court rules that ‘sham’ terminations can cause psychiatric injury, overturning century-old law In a momentous outcome for all workers, this week the High Court of Australia ruled in our client’s favour and reinstated a $1,442,405 damages verdict for breach of contract previously awarded by the Supreme Court of Victoria in December 2022. For […]
‘Ignorance is not an option’: Family claims companies caused father’s slow asbestos death The daughter of a man killed by deadly asbestos poisoning says her family was forced to watch her “loyal and generous” father slowly die. Ian Fitzsimmons, 78, died in March after a years-long battle with illnesses his family claim were the result […]
New WorkCover laws leaving injured Victorian workers behind New controversial WorkCover laws have created the most dramatic reduction in support for injured Victorians in more than a decade, lawyers claim. Major changes to the workers compensation scheme were introduced across the state in March this year including new whole person impairment requirements. This means injured workers must […]