Overview

• The Federal Court penalized Qantas for outsourcing ground handling at 10 airports in 2020, a move earlier found to be unlawful adverse action against 1,820 employees under the Fair Work Act.
• Justice Michael Lee allocated A$50 million of the penalty to the Transport Workers’ Union, with the remaining A$40 million to be determined at a later hearing.
• The penalty is in addition to a A$120 million compensation fund agreed in December 2024 for affected workers.
• Lee said the fine must act as a real deterrent and criticized Qantas’ contrition as “the wrong kind of sorry,” questioning the airline’s culture and PR-led apologies.
• Qantas said it accepts the ruling and issued an apology via CEO Vanessa Hudson as the decision caps a five-year union-led case upheld through to the High Court.