compensation

The Law Council of Australia says without a statutory tort, victims are limited in their ability to seek compensation for serious privacy breaches.

A court had held the government responsible for security guards on Manus Island failing in their duty to protect detainees during a 2014 riot.

Compensation ranging from $500 to more than $20,000 would be paid on a case-by-case basis, and would be assessed using five categories of loss or damage, depending on the severity of the impact.

Following the media revelations aired on Monday, Labor leader Jodi McKay grilled Dominic Perrottet over Martin Hoffman’s email.

The Australian Taxation Office will make it easier and simpler for small business owners to access compensation for defective administration, after a review by former Attorney-General’s Department secretary Robert Cornall found the current scheme was ineffective.

The Australian Taxation Office’s decisions on compensation for small business victims of “defective administration” are under review by a former head of the Attorney-General’s Department.

Fired after explosive testimony at an anti-corruption inquiry, a former public servant is now receiving compensation. Yet the department stands by its decision to sack him.

The federal government has agreed to extend strong protections for union whistleblowers to its public servants. Reform was already afoot, but the Xenophon-Hinch deal is likely to push it further and could influence the states.