Latest news with #compensation
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Street cleaner win compensation payout after he was fired for refusing to do Acknowledgment of Country - and reveals his big new plan
A street sweeper who won an unfair dismissal claim after he was fired for objecting to an Acknowledgment of Country has received a compensation payout from the council and is now considering running for parliament. Melbourne man Shaun Turner, 60, was sacked from his role as a street sweeper for Darebin City Council in June 2024 after he questioned the ceremony at a toolbox meeting. The council worker, whose father served in World War II, told the meeting: 'If you need to be thanking anyone, it's the people who have worn the uniform and fought for our country to keep us free.' 'It's getting out of hand and people are losing it, it is now being done at the opening of a postage stamp.' Council officers investigated Mr Turner's alleged 'serious misconduct,' but the father of three doubled down and was let go. 'As far as I know half of us are born here, I don't need to be welcomed to my own country. If people don't want to be there, they can leave,' Mr Turner told the officers. Mr Turner said that Acknowledgment of Country should be reserved for more formal or international occasions. The Fair Work Commission upheld his unfair dismissal claim, with Mr Turner believing his legal win resonated with the 'silent majority' of people in Australia. Mr Turner told the Herald Sun he had received a compensation payout that was 'satisfying' and that he would not return to working with the council. He is now considering running for a spot in the Senate at the next election. 'I've had a lot of time to think and I'm thinking about (federal) politics,' he said. Fair Work Commission Deputy President Richard Clancy ruled in favour of Mr Turner labelling his dismissal as 'harsh' and 'disproportionate'. The commission is set to hold a hearing to consider Mr Turner's request for reinstatement and to determine the remedy for the unfair dismissal. Mr Turner said he would not speak about the details of his case as the commission was deliberating, however he wanted it known that his actions were not racially motivated. 'When it comes to this, the first thing that happens is you are labelled racist. I may not like a lot of people but I have no problem with Aboriginal people,' Mr Turner said. 'I played football, I was brought up with people of all races in Broadmeadows. Some you get on with, some you don't. The easy thing to throw around these days if you can't win an argument is to call someone racist.' Mr Turner believes Acknowledgement of Country is unsuitable for small meetings and should rather be reserved for large events attended by international visitors. Before Mr Turner was dismissed, he attended another meeting with Council Chief of People Officer Yvette Fuller. Ms Fuller informed Mr Turner that there was a firm expectation for an Acknowledgment of Country to precede all formal meetings. Mr Turner questioned: 'Why didn't we do it in this meeting then?,' to which Ms Fuller then asked: 'Are you saying you will continue to disrupt an Acknowledgement of Country?'. 'I won't disrupt it but I want to be asked if I would like you to give me the courtesy to step outside,' he replied. In his termination letter, Darebin City Council alleged during the May 21, 2024 meeting that Mr Turner had said 'the Acknowledgment of Country is not necessary'. The council further alleged Mr Turner said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 'do not deserve an acknowledgment at the start of meetings'. But Fair Work Commission's Deputy President Richard Clancy found Mr Turner's statements were not delivered in the manner or tone alleged by the council. 'I am not persuaded that Mr Turner said either 'The Acknowledgment of Country is not necessary' or that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 'do not deserve an acknowledgment at the start of meetings',' Mr Clancy said. 'I am satisfied, however, that Mr Turner made a comment to the effect that if anyone was to be acknowledged or thanked at a toolbox meeting, it should be the servicemen and women who had fought for this country (i.e. Australia) but I do not consider that expressing such an opinion constitutes a valid reason for dismissal.' Mr Clancy said the Acknowledgement of Country would have caught the members of the street cleaning team off guard. He added Mr Turner's specific question 'are you joking?' and his reference to the 'opening of a postage stamp' was the articulation of a reaction of surprise. 'I regard Mr Turner's various comments as having been a spontaneous expression of his opinion that Acknowledgements of Country are appropriate on special occasions but one was not necessary at the toolbox meeting,' Mr Clancy said. 'His comments were laced with his underlying frustration in relation to the various issues pertaining to his work. 'I have not been persuaded these particular comments of Mr Turner either rise to the level of having been disrespectful and aggressive in tone, or that they were perceived by anyone to be so.' Mr Clancy labelled Mr Turner's dismissal as 'harsh' and 'disproportionate' to the context within which his comments were made. 'I reiterate that even if the reasons for the dismissal relating to the comments about Acknowledgements of Country and Mr Turner's colleague were regarded as valid, the dismissal was harsh,' Mr Clancy said. 'It was disproportionate having regard to the context within which his comments were made and Mr Turner's circumstances.' The Council's submissions indicated that it took particular offence to Mr Turner's use of the word 'courtesy' when asked if he would be given the option to 'step outside' during an Acknowledgement of Country. Council said the use of the word 'displayed contempt to the council's Indigenous employees and community'. But Mr Clancy disagreed with the council's assessment. 'That Mr Turner holds a different point of view when it comes to Acknowledgements of Country does not, of itself, make him contemptuous of the Respondents.' Mr Clancy noted that both Ms Fuller and Elizabeth Skinner, who was the city works manager at the time, were sufficiently concerned by Mr Turner's conduct that they each contacted his Indigenous support person after the meeting to offer an apology. However, during the Fair Work proceedings, there was no evidence given to show the support person felt offended. In his testimony for the Fair Work claim, Mr Turner said he believed he was 'being made out to be a racist'. 'I've got to say that I was brought up on Broadmeadows. I come from a family of eight,' he said. 'My best friends out at Broadmeadows happen to be Aboriginal [people], one of them marrying my sister. I have a niece and great-niece and nephews who are all Aboriginal.'
Bloomberg
7 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
TikTok's Chinese Workers Seek Tax Compensation for US Relocation
Some of TikTok's Chinese employees are requesting company compensation for additional taxes incurred due to their relocation to the US, according to people familiar with the matter. The workers are asking TikTok to cover any tax liabilities exceeding the 45% cap they would be subject to in China, the people said, requesting not to be named because the matter is private. They argue that failure to do so could undermine Chinese workers' willingness to relocate to the US.
Sky News
12 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News
Mother of victim of necrophiliac David Fuller reacts to inquiry that found crimes 'could be repeated'
Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse readers' may find disturbing. The mother of one of David Fuller's victims has said she is still fighting to get compensation for the impact of her daughter's body being abused in a hospital mortuary. Fuller, a hospital electrician, is known to have violated at least 100 corpses, often filming or photographing his crimes. Nevres Kemal's daughter Azra Kemal was 24 when she died before her body was sexually abused by Fuller three times in the mortuary of Tunbridge Wells Hospital in July 2020. Ms Kemal told Sky News it was "a disgrace" she has to "prove that this has devastated me" as she fights to get compensation. It comes as an inquiry into the case concluded that "offences such as those committed by David Fuller could happen again". The report by Sir Jonathan Michael found that "current arrangements in England for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and, in significant areas, completely lacking". Ms Kemal commended the report for being "honest" but also said it was "expensive". She added: "This is the most horrendous story this country has ever seen around the violation of dead people. Now we need legislation and a separate body to regulate these organisations. "They are writing reports to help insure this will never happen again. But what about helping the people it's already happened to?" 'Traumatised' Ms Kemal said she is in a battle for compensation and has to demonstrate how the crime has impacted her. She said: "We have the burden of proof that this situation has traumatised us to a point that we either cannot work or it has made us unwell. It's the burden of proof upon us, which is a disgrace." The first phase of the inquiry criticised the NHS trust's poor management and lax security arrangements that allowed Fuller to access the morgue for 15 years and 444 times in one year alone, without raising suspicion. "Azra was one of his prime targets," says Ms Kemal. "He accessed Azra's Facebook. I spent time with Azra in the mortuary and that moment helped me heal. We spent two hours together." However, Ms Kemal later found out that her daughter's body had been violated both before and after the visit. She added: "It's disgusting that we have to fight for compensation when it should be something that should be considered in a very sensitive way and looked at in a more transparent way. "This government should ensure that people that have been wronged do not wait and beg for compensation." What did the inquiry uncover? The first phase of the inquiry found Fuller, 70, was able to offend for 15 years in mortuaries without being suspected or caught due to "serious failings" at the hospitals where he worked. Phase 2 of the inquiry has examined the broader national picture and considered if procedures and practices in other hospital and non-hospital settings, where deceased people are kept, safeguard their security and dignity. Fuller was given a whole-life prison term in December 2021 for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987. During his time as a maintenance worker, he also abused the corpses of more than 100 women and girls at Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital before his arrest in December 2020. His victims ranged in age from nine to 100. Phase 1 of the inquiry found he entered one mortuary 444 times in the space of one year "unnoticed and unchecked" and that deceased people were also left out of fridges and overnight during working hours. Highly critical report suggests suggest someone like Fuller could get away with it again Jason Farrell Home editor @JasonFarrellSky After an initial glance, his interim report already called for urgent regulation to safeguard the "security and dignity of the deceased". On publication of his final report he describes regulation and oversight of care as "ineffective, and in significant areas completely lacking". David Fuller was an electrician who committed sexual offences against at least 100 deceased women and girls in the mortuaries of the Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital. His victims ranged in age from nine to 100. This first phase of the inquiry found Fuller entered the mortuary 444 times in a single year, "unnoticed and unchecked". It was highly critical of the systems in place that allowed this to happen. His shocking discovery, looking at the broader industry - be it other NHS Trusts or the 4,500 funeral directors in England - is that it could easily have happened elsewhere. The conditions described suggest someone like Fuller could get away with it again. 'Could be a recurrence of appalling crimes' Presenting the findings on Tuesday, Sir Jonathan said: "This is the first time that the security and dignity of people after death has been reviewed so comprehensively. "Inadequate management, governance and processes helped create the environment in which David Fuller was able to offend for so long." He said that these "weaknesses" are not confined to where Fuller operated, adding that he found examples from "across the country". "I have asked myself whether there could be a recurrence of the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller. - I have concluded that yes, it is entirely possible that such offences could be repeated, particularly in those sectors that lack any form of statutory regulation." Sir Jonathan called for a statutory regulation to "protect the security and dignity of people after death".
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Story of Eric Clapton paying funeral expenses of Texas flood victims doesn't hold water
Claim: In July 2025, musician Eric Clapton donated money to the families of victims of the floods in Texas for funeral expenses and compensation. Rating: A rumor that circulated online in July 2025 claimed musician Eric Clapton had paid for the funeral expenses for victims of massive flooding in Texas. According to the story, he had also offered other ways to compensate the victims. Snopes readers searched the site wondering if the rumor was true. For example, on July 7, 2025, the Facebook page Clapton's Guitar Legends posted (archived) the story, which had received 148,000 reactions and 20,000 reshares as of this writing. The post displayed a photograph of Clapton and other photographs of the floods in Texas. "SURPRISE!," the story began. "Eric Clapton has stepped in to pay for the funeral expenses and compensation for the families of the victims of the devastating Texas flash floods for their emotional and financial losses, leaving fans VERY EMOTIONAL..." (Facebook page Clapton's Guitar Legends) Other Facebook users left comments that indicated they took the claim at face value. "Wow, what a great human being Clapton is," one said. "Billionaires could follow suit!! Yay Eric!," another wrote. The post featured a link in a pinned comment leading to an article hosted on an unknown blog. The article read: In аn unexpected and deeply touching act of generosity, music legend Eric Clapton has stepped forward to cover the funeral expenses and provide finаnсіаl compensation for the families of those affected by the devastating flash floods in Texas. This surprising and heartfelt gesture has left fans and the public profoundly moved, showcasing nоt оnlу Clapton's immense talent but also his deep compassion and willingness to use his platform to help those in need. Note: The Cyrillic "п" and Greek "υ" characters were used in the original copy as the following screen capture indicates: ( However, searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no news media outlets reporting about Clapton's supposed donation. Prominent news media outlets would have widely reported this rumor, if true. For example, CBS affiliate in East Texas CBS19 published a list of celebrities and companies who announced they would donate to the victims of the July 4, 2025 floods in Texas. Clapton was not one of them. Rather, the person or people who authored the story fabricated the entire story as one of hundreds of inspirational tales that depicted celebrities and athletes performing inspiring acts of kindness. They aimed to earn advertising revenue on websites linked from the aforementioned Facebook posts. As we'll lay out later in this article, the story about Clapton amounted to fiction. An examination of the Clapton's Guitar Legends page's stories found multiple indications of artificial intelligence-generated (AI) images and text. For example, regarding a picture included in one post that claimed Clapton had helped rescue five missing children in the floods, the Sightengine AI detection found a 99% probability that someone "likely" generated the image with AI. The photo included visible signs of AI, for example smooth facial features and an odd green sign that said "Texas." Snopes contacted a manager of the Clapton's Guitar Legends Facebook page to ask about the fictional stories displayed on the feed, and will update this story if we receive more information. These stories all very much resembled glurge, which defines as "stories, often sent by email, that are supposed to be true and uplifting, but which are often fabricated and sentimental." Snopes previously reported on another story claiming Pope Leo XIV had fallen down stairs.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Innocent 'Beast of Birkenhead' Peter Sullivan now in line for £1.3m payout but lawyers say miscarriage of justice changes 'don't go nearly far enough'
Labour has announced an increase in maximum pay-outs to victims of miscarriages of justice – but the changes do not go far enough, lawyers have warned. The current cap on compensation payments for people wrongly jailed for 10 years or more will rise by £300,000 to £1.3million, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed today. The ceiling on payments to those wrongly jailed for up to 10 years will also rise by 30 per cent to £650,000. The increase is likely to mean that Peter Sullivan – whose conviction was quashed in May for a murder he did not commit – will now be due a higher pay-out. In one of Britain's worst miscarriages of justice Mr Sullivan spent 38 years behind bars before judges overturned his conviction for the 1986 murder of 21-year-old florist Diane Sindall. Erroneously dubbed the 'Beast of Birkenhead' after the brutal killing, Mr Sullivan had long protested his innocence. The sheer length of his wrongful jail term means he is expected to be awarded a sum to the limit of the new cap. In another high-profile case, Andrew Malkinson was wrongly jailed for rape for 17 years and finally freed two years ago. Months after his release he had received no pay-out and described himself as 'broke' and 'living in a tent'. In February it emerged Mr Malkinson had received a 'significant' six-figure interim pay-out – but his final application is yet to be resolved. Solicitor Toby Wilton, who is representing Mr Malkinson in his compensation claim, said Ms Mahmood's announcement 'does not go nearly far enough'. 'The current maximum cap on compensation of £1million was introduced in 2008,' Mr Wilton said. 'Before that, compensation was not capped at all and applicants received compensation broadly in line with what they would receive in a court of law. 'The government should return to this system, removing the arbitrary cap which unfairly penalises those who like Andrew Malkinson have suffered the longest lasting and most serious miscarriages of justice. 'While this proposal is welcome, it does not go nearly far enough.' He added: 'The Government and Parliament should think again. 'A 30 per cent increase in the cap, whilst welcome, does not come close to addressing this unfairness. 'Increased by RPI inflation, the measure the courts use to uprate compensation amounts, £1million in 2008 would be closer to £2million today.' Announcing the changes, Ms Mahmood said: 'Fairness is the ideal that underpins our justice system. 'Where it has failed to meet that ideal, victims of devastating miscarriages of justice must be able to rebuild their lives. 'This uplift will ensure victims are compensated for the crimes they did not commit and the years they cannot get back.' The exact amount of compensation is decided by an independent assessor. Applications must be made within two years of being pardoned or having a conviction quashed as a result of a newly-discovered fact.
