Education

A former political economy lecturer who was fired from the University of Sydney for a seminar slide that imposed the Nazi swastika on the Israeli flag has narrowed his case against his old employer, dropping allegations he was unlawfully terminated for expressing his political opinion.

Two female academics who made complaints of bullying against the head of La Trobe University's law school and were named in his legal action against the university over his subsequent suspension have lost a bid to keep their identities under wraps.

Private training company Ashley Services and auditors Deloitte and Grant Thornton will pay a combined $14.6 million to settle a shareholder class action, and IMF Bentham says it may bank $7.2 million for funding the litigation.

James Cook University unlawfully dismissed a professor who spoke out against the school and one of its scientists over its climate change views, a judge found Tuesday.

Clayton Utz's advice to the Department of Education that it could supply details to the ACCC about documents seized in an Australian Federal Police raid of Phoenix Institute of Australia's offices was incorrect, the collapsed educational company told the court as it flagged a possible application to shut down the consumer watchdog's case.

An eminent professor at a Melbourne law school has launched legal action against his employer after complaints of bullying by two other professors led to his suspension.

The Australia Competition and Consumer Commission is seeking a $35 million penalty against Empower Institute after the court found the vocational trainer engaged in unconscionable conduct by "duping" customers into enrolling in courses they could not afford.

Vocational training firm Railtrain knowingly and recklessly misled trainees about their rights to be paid as employees, according to an amended court filing by the Rail, Tram, and Bus Industry Union.

Law firm Johnson Winter & Slattery has filed its defence against a cross claim by accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers in a shareholder class action over the collapse of Vocation, pointing to an email that shows the training company was advised of its disclosure obligations to the market.

Vocational education provider Captain Cook College has panned the ACCC for delaying its recently filed case against the college by failing to prepare a statement of claim, despite already publicising the proceedings.