“They invoice us. They have an ABN. They’re a contractor.” That reasoning has never been enough, and in 2026 it is actively dangerous. A single worker can be a contractor at common law, an employee for superannuation purposes, and a deemed employee for payroll tax — all at the same time, under three different tests.
For decades, superannuation was a quarterly problem. You accrued it, you reconciled it, and you paid it within 28 days of the quarter’s end. From 1 July 2026 that model is gone. Superannuation is now a pay-cycle obligation: contributions must be received by the employee’s fund within seven business days of payday. Miss it — even by a day, even by a small amount — and
When you make a role redundant, can you rely on the fact that there were simply no other jobs going? Not any more. Following the High Court’s 2025 decision in the Helensburgh Coal matter, “reasonable redeployment” under section 389 of the Fair Work Act now reaches beyond a list of vacant positions — in some cases it extends
If you pay an annual salary to award-covered staff, the Coles and Woolworths underpayment decision should be on your radar. Paying a generous salary that “washes out” over a year is no longer enough: a set-off must satisfy award entitlements in each pay period — not on average across the year. That point redraws the compliance map for Australian
When a worker is killed or seriously injured at work, the first 48 hours shape everything that follows — your legal exposure, your standing with the WHS regulator, the wellbeing of your people, and your ability to defend any future prosecution. The best predictor of a good response is having an incident-response plan ready before anything happens.
The First 48 Hours After a Serious Workplace Incident: An Employer’s Response Plan Read More »