From 1 October 2026, the Fair Work Commission is replacing the old pay-point system in the Health Professionals and Support Services Award (MA000027) with a new classification structure based on each employee’s qualification level (AQF) and years of profession-wide experience. For physiotherapy clinics, this means every physio on your books – graduate through to senior…
Managing poor performance means identifying the specific gap between what an employee is doing and what the role requires, telling them clearly, giving them a genuine and documented opportunity to improve, and only moving toward formal warnings or termination if that improvement doesn’t happen. Under the Fair Work Act 2009, “unsatisfactory performance” can be a…
By Vas Papadopoulos, Principal Consultant, HR Excellence Partners For many Australian small and medium businesses, fixed term contracts have been the go-to option – for projects, parental leave cover, or simply because the future workload was uncertain. But the rules have changed, and a recent Fair Work Commission decision shows just how costly getting it…
By Vas Papadopoulos, Principal Consultant, HR Excellence Partners Quick answer: The new financial year is the natural trigger point for an Australian SME to reset its HR foundations. From 1 July 2026, modern award minimum wages rose 4.75% and the National Minimum Wage rose to $26.44/hour; meaning every award-covered employer needs to check their pay…
Understanding the law, the risks, and the simple steps that make a real difference ’ Australian small business edition. It’s Not Just a “Big Business” Problem If you run a small business, it’s easy to assume work health and safety law around mental health is something for large corporates with dedicated HR teams. It isn’t….
By Vas Papadopoulos, Principal Consultant, HR Excellence Partners For many Australian SMEs, the end of financial year is focused on budgets, tax planning, and cash flow. While these areas are important, there is another critical business function that often gets left until the last minute: HR compliance. With only a few weeks remaining before 1…
By Vas Papadopoulos, Principal Consultant, HR Excellence Partners If you employ staff in Australia, one of the most important compliance events each year is the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. On 2 June 2026, the Fair Work Commission handed down its Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision, confirming a 4.75% increase to the National Minimum…
HR Systems for Australian SMEs Why smart Australian SMEs are investing in HR systems, process improvement and better people operations The businesses that grow well are rarely the ones doing everything manually. They are the ones that build simple, reliable systems that save time, reduce risk and help leaders make better people decisions. For time…
What Australian Employers Need to Know Recent public comments from the Fair Work Commission confirm a sharp increase in dismissal related applications across Australia. President Justice Hatcher has indicated that by the end of the 2025 to 2026 financial year, the Commission’s workload is likely to have increased by around 70 percent over three years….
Major Australian organisations continue to make headlines for serious payroll and HR compliance failures. The recent case involving the University of Wollongong is another reminder that even well resourced employers with large HR teams can get workplace laws wrong.The University of Wollongong has been ordered to repay more than six point six million dollars in…
