Employment · Dismissal
Employment lawyers in Gawler, for employees.
Losing a job, or being told you are under investigation, is a shock. Some of the most important deadlines start the day it happens. A short call tells you where you stand and what to do this week.
What we handle
Advice for the person on the other side of the desk.
We act for employees from Gawler and across northern Adelaide and the Barossa: people who have been dismissed, made redundant, investigated, underpaid or pushed out of a job, and people injured at work who are now in a dispute about it.
If you have been dismissed, the clock starts straight away. Most employees in South Australia are in the national Fair Work system, where an unfair dismissal application, or a general protections claim about a dismissal, must be lodged with the Fair Work Commission within 21 days of the dismissal taking effect. Some employees, including many in state and local government, sit in the South Australian system instead, which has its own rules. We work out which applies on the first call.
Not every problem needs a claim. Often the right step is a carefully written response to an allegation, a negotiated exit with a payment and a reference, or a letter that gets wages paid. We tell you which route is worth it, including when it is not worth fighting.
If you are here because…
Three places employment problems usually start.
You have just been dismissed.
Write down what was said and when, keep every letter and message, and do not sign anything offered on the day. Then call us. Most dismissal claims must be lodged within 21 days, and a late application is accepted only in exceptional circumstances.
You are under investigation at work.
A fair process means knowing the allegations and having a proper chance to respond, and the Fair Work Commission looks at whether you had one. Talk to us before the interview or before you send a written response. What you say first is hard to take back.
You were hurt at work and the claim has stalled.
Workers compensation in South Australia runs through ReturnToWorkSA. If your claim has been rejected or your payments have stopped, there are review steps, and they have time limits. We explain them and act for you in the dispute.
Common questions
What employees ask on the first call.
21 days from the day the dismissal takes effect, for employees in the national Fair Work system, which covers most people working in South Australia. A general protections claim about a dismissal has the same 21 days. The Commission accepts a late application only in exceptional circumstances, so do not wait to see how things settle.
Most employees are, once they have worked for the employer for at least six months, or 12 months if the business has fewer than 15 employees. There are exceptions, including some higher-income earners and casual staff without regular, systematic work. Some state and local government employees sit in the South Australian system instead. We check which applies on the first call.
A genuine redundancy is not an unfair dismissal. But the role has to be truly no longer needed, the employer has to consult as any award or agreement requires, and redeployment has to be considered. If those steps were skipped, you may have a claim, and you may also be owed redundancy pay.
Sometimes not, and we will tell you so. Often the better result is a negotiated exit with a payment and an agreed reference, or a letter that gets unpaid wages paid. We weigh the cost and stress of a claim against what is realistically recoverable before you commit to anything.
Your workers compensation claim goes through ReturnToWorkSA, and disputes about it are heard in the South Australian Employment Tribunal. If you were also dismissed, there may be a separate claim about that. We look at both together.
Yes, on our industrial relations page. We never act for both sides of the same dispute, and we check for a conflict before you tell us the details.
We'll call you back the same business day.
Tell us briefly what's happening. Steven will call you back for a free 15-minute conversation, the same business day. No obligation, no pressure to engage us afterwards.
For certain matters, new national rules mean we verify your identity before we start acting. What to expect →
Thank you. We'll be in touch today.
Your message is with our team. If it's urgent, you're welcome to call us directly on (08) 8522 6025.