May 2026

Two professionals shaking hands in a modern office while discussing employment terms and pay arrangements.

Loaded pay rates: a tempting handshake that can land you in serious trouble

Uncategorized /

At a franchisor presentation last night, a franchisee asked me a question that I suspect plays out in workplaces across Australia every single day.  A promising candidate negotiates a higher hourly rate. The employer agrees — and to keep things simple, says the rate also covers the tool allowance and annual leave loading. Everyone shakes […]

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Three business professionals collaborating in a modern office meeting with laptops, documents, and financial reports on the table.

What Employers Need to Know About the FY26/27 Australian Federal Budget (A practical briefing from Harrisons for Australian employers )

Uncategorized /

The 2026–27 Federal Budget was handed down on 12 May 2026, and while much of the headline commentary focused on tax cuts and cost-of-living relief, there is a lot in this Budget that Australian employers need to be thinking about right now.  This is not a Budget of broad incentives. It is a Budget of

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Wooden blocks stacked to represent the process of hiring a first employee for a small business, including planning, recruitment, onboarding, development and retention.

Hiring your first employee: what start-ups and small businesses need to get right 

Small Business HR, Uncategorized /

The cost of a bad first hire isn’t just the salary. It’s the months of distraction, the lost momentum, the awkward exit conversation, and the moment you find yourself doing the work yourself again — except now you’re paying someone else to not quite do it.  After 17 years of working with small businesses and

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Two business professionals reviewing workplace compliance documents in a modern office ahead of major Australian employment law changes taking effect on 1 July 2026.

What’s changing on 1 July 2026 — and what to do about it before it lands

Compliance, Uncategorized /

Every July brings a wave of workplace law changes. Most years you can absorb them with a payroll update and a quick policy review. 2026 is not that year.  The changes landing on 1 July 2026 are structural — not cosmetic. They alter how super is paid, how parental leave is funded, what counts as

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