An application for termination of the Homecare Plus (a division of The Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Association of SA Inc) Casual Support Worker, Casual Administrative and Casual Emergency Support Worker Enterprise Agreement 2011 (s.225 – Application for termination of an enterprise agreement after its nominal expiry date) will be determined by Fair Work Commissioner Platt in his Adelaide chambers.
October 31, 2018
Ozcare will answer a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) in front of Fair Work Deputy President Asbury in Hearing Room 1 in Brisbane today (Rhind).
October 31, 2018
A disability worker who allegedly threatened to poison, burn and potentially drown a vulnerable client while masking the abuse as an accident may still be employed in the system because police chose not to investigate the matter, a disability advocate says. Principal Community Visitor Maurice Corcoran made the startling claim in his 2017/18 Disability Services Annual Report, which has been tabled in State Parliament. The revelations have prompted Police Minister Corey Wingard to seek answers from Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Mr Corcoran said the family of a young man with an intellectual disability, who was living at an unnamed SA-supported accommodation facility, had raised concerns about a menacing letter they allegedly received from a staff member at the care home. The letter was one of a number of allegations, including that the man was taken to a topless waitress restaurant. He said the letter was reportedly prompted by a mistaken belief that the family had complained about another staff member. “The family found a very disturbing and threatening letter that was left in their letterbox addressed to them and allegedly from a staff member who blamed them for the site manager being moved,” Mr Corcoran said. “The letter went on to state that ‘the staff who are affected by this are angry and pissed off, which puts your nephew at risk’. “It went further, detailing forms of harm that could be applied to the client while masked as an accident and included the following: Food … poison; medication … wrong; shampoo … what’s in the bottle — acid?; how well does he swim?; going through the windscreen … seatbelt unclipped.” Mr Corcoran said the letter finished with a “final chilling statement”. “(It read) ‘This little piglet is going to be abused with cruelty violence … regularly and repeatedly’,” he said. Mr Corcoran said, “as a social worker for over 30 years, this letter is one of the worst that I have seen in terms of the threats to abuse with cruelty and violence, and all because of some misconception that the family had complained about a staff member”. He immediately contacted the Department of Human Services’s critical incident team director, expressing concern for the young man and urging the director to accompany the family to a police station to report the incident. The service provider placed extra staff in the care house to ensure the client was safe. Mr Corcoran said neither the police nor the department investigated the matter, meaning the author could still be working with people with a disability. “I do need to express deep disappointment and concern that this incident was not investigated by police nor the department’s critical incident team,” he said.
October 30, 2018
Surfers Paradise Anglican Crisis Care Inc will defend a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) today before Deputy President Dean in Hearing Room 4 in Brisbane (Alexander).
October 30, 2018
Trustees for the Roman Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn are still battling a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) in front of Fair Work Deputy President Dean in his Brisbane chambers (Crowley).
October 30, 2018
The Trustee for The Salvation Army (NSW) Social Work has a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute in relation to flexible working arrangements) matter set for hearing before Fair Work Commissioner Johns in his Sydney chambers (Kim).
October 30, 2018
A billion-dollar property development company with links to state and federal politicians has been accused of firing an employee and failing to pay him bonuses because he had cancer. Phil*, who did not want his real name published, worked in acquisitions and leasing for the Yuhu Group for almost five years, where his duties included identifying properties the developer could buy and negotiating the price.
October 29, 2018
A sleazy male nurse who hit on former patients and went as far as stalking one after their relationship ended, has been stripped of his right to practise. Glenn Scott was deregistered last month by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia after it was found he repeatedly attempted to establish personal or romantic relationships with women he met while on the job. The board heard the women were vulnerable and many were receiving treatment for addiction when he met them. It was also noted Mr Scott was previously the subject of disciplinary proceedings related to patient care and professional boundary violations, but he continued to offend anyway. In the case before the board last month, six women from two different clinics were subjected to his advances between 2012 and 2015. One woman was a patient under Mr Scott’s care at a clinic in Melbourne’s inner east, and the board was told his common method of approach included contacting them via social media, text or email. He also visited Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings some of the women attended. In 2016 he was found guilty by the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for stalking one former patient he’d had a two-year sexual relationship with between 2012 and 2014. He was fined $1500 without conviction for the offence. In handing down their decision last month, the board said other offending by Mr Scott stretched as far back as 2009, where he had sex with a former patient and supplied her with medication he was not authorised to give her.
