“Qantas to pay record fine of $58 million for pandemic sackings criticised by judge”, 20 August 2025

A court ordered Australia’s largest airline, Qantas Airways, on Monday to pay a record fine of A$90 million ($58.64 million) for illegally sacking 1,800 ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and criticised it for a lack of contrition.

In imposing the penalty, the largest ordered by a court on a company in the history of Australia’s labour laws, Federal Court Judge Michael Lee also inveighed against the airline's litigation strategy…

Lee said the size of the penalty, about 75% of the maximum he could have set, was important to ensure it "could not be perceived as anything like the cost of doing business".

He said A$50 million of the fine would be paid to the Transport Workers' Union (TWU), which brought the case against Qantas…

During the pandemic in 2020, Qantas’ senior management decided to lay off 1,820 ground staff and shift their work to contractors.

Qantas said it was a commercial decision but the Federal Court in 2021 held the move to be "adverse action", preventing staff from exercising their workplace rights and unionising, in breach of Australia’s Fair Work Act…

When its appeal failed, Qantas issued a statement "spinning" the outcome, however, and overlooking findings on its unlawful conduct, he added…

Qantas said it would pay the fine as ordered.

"We sincerely apologise to each and every one of the 1,820 ground handling employees and to their families," Chief Executive Vanessa Hudson said in a statement…