McDonald's may be in hot oil as a union demands the fast food giant cough up $250 million in compensation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association is taking McDonald's to court again arguing that its young workforce have been denied paid breaks.
The union has lodged a Federal Court claim in South Australia against 323 McDonald's operators and the multinational firm itself over the alleged denial of paid rest breaks at nearly 1000 current and former McDonald's sites.
The union is seeking $250 million in compensation plus penalties to cover some 250,000 current and former McDonald's workers across Australia after it two years of investigating what it claims are Fast Food Award breaches.
Under the award, all McDonald's workers are entitled to an uninterrupted 10-minute break when working four hours or more.
Meanwhile, political leaders have vowed to work together to fix a disturbing culture in NSW parliament, which Premier Dominic Perrottet says has become "toxic".
A long-awaited independent report has found sexual harassment and bullying is rife in the NSW parliament, while several people have reported incidents of sexual assault in the workplace.
Mr Perrottet described the report's findings as "sobering, confronting and completely unacceptable".
The investigation, conducted by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, found one in five people who work at parliament have experienced sexual harassment in the past five years.
Five people reported an attempted or realised sexual assault, while more than one in four experienced bullying in the past five years, with several unnamed offices identified as "hotspots" for the behaviour.
Scientists are monitoring a new virus that has likely jumped from animals to humans after dozens of cases were discovered in China.
The Langya virus has infected 35 people in Eastern China, with many reporting symptoms such as fever, cough and fatigue.
The new virus is part of a group of "growing concern" in the virus population, experts say, because of its ability to rapidly change.
While there have been no reported deaths, the Taiwan Centre for Disease Control is monitoring the virus.
And in some lighter news, Russia has come under attack - in Canberra, by a confused kangaroo.
The animal tried to get through the front gates of the embassy's compound yesterday, failed and tried again and then gave up.
The "attack" was filmed on one of the Russian embassy's security cameras, and an official put it on social media.
"It's Australia, and in Australia, it happens," a Russian diplomat said - diplomatically.
The staff at the embassy were clearly amused and bemused.
THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- 'Screaming out for reform', ministers seek urgent teacher action plan
- Third La Nina signs are becoming stronger
- Toxic culture at NSW's parliament exposed
- Ukraine's new ally - a confused kangaroo in Canberra
- Langya virus: what is it and should we be concerned?
- Australia's News Media Bargaining Code led the world. It's time to finish what we started
- Hey Now, Hey Now! Crowded House announce regional Australian tour dates
- Watch: Bear staggers under influence of hallucinogenic honey