Field notes on hiring, done properly.

Operations

Unloading shipping containers by hand: how to plan the crew and the job

What makes hand-unloading a shipping container hard on people, the controls regulators expect, and what to tell your provider so the crew is sized properly.

19 October 2026 Read → Compliance

Minimum shifts and cancelled shifts: what you pay for when you book casual workers

Booking casual or labour hire workers for a warehouse? Here is what the four-hour minimum engagement means when you send people home early or cancel late.

16 October 2026 Read → Compliance

Checking work rights before someone starts: a guide for employers and hosts

Who has to confirm a worker's right to work in Australia, how VEVO checks work, what visa work conditions mean and how the penalties framework applies.

12 October 2026 Read → Compliance

Forklift tickets and labour hire: what to check before anyone touches the keys

Which warehouse work needs a high risk work licence, how to verify one, who has to check it, and what verification of competency means for on-hired workers.

9 October 2026 Read → Hiring

How to brief a labour hire agency so you get the right workers the first time

What to tell your labour hire provider before booking: tasks, site conditions, licences, shifts, PPE, supervision and day-one logistics. A practical checklist.

5 October 2026 Read → Compliance

Christmas and New Year 2026: planning shifts around the public holidays

Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, so most states add Monday 28 December. Dates by state, the right to refuse, and how to roster on-hired workers.

5 October 2026 Read → Compliance

Using labour hire? Your safety duties don't go with the invoice

Using labour hire doesn't hand your safety duties to the agency. What hosts owe on-hired workers under WHS and Victorian OHS law, and how to split the work.

3 October 2026 Read → Compliance

The 2026 wage increase: what +4.75% means for your labour hire bill

Award minimums rose 4.75% and the National Minimum Wage passed $1,000 a week from 1 July 2026. How that flows through a labour hire charge rate, and what to check.

10 August 2026 Read → Compliance

Same Job, Same Pay: what it actually means when you use labour hire

Since 1 November 2024, labour hire workers can be ordered onto the same pay as a host's direct employees. Who can apply, the exemptions, and what it means for you.

3 August 2026 Read → Compliance

Casual to permanent: how the employee choice pathway actually works

Casual conversion is gone: since August 2024 the casual starts it, via the employee choice pathway. Who's eligible, the 21-day rule, and who owns it in labour hire.

27 July 2026 Read → Compliance

Payday super started on 1 July 2026 — what it changes for employers

From 1 July 2026, super must hit workers' funds within 7 business days of payday, not quarterly. What changes, what doesn't, and where it bites in labour hire.

23 July 2026 Read → Workforce

Hiring for peak season without the compliance blow-up

Ramping up for Christmas, harvest, events or a big project? How to scale a workforce fast in 2026 without tripping on licensing, penalty rates, super or WHS.

3 July 2026 Read → Hiring

Labour hire or recruitment: which one does your business actually need?

Labour hire puts workers on your site as the agency's employees; recruitment finds people you hire directly. How to tell which fits, and when to use both.

3 July 2026 Read → Compliance

ABN or TFN? Getting worker classification right — and staying clear of sham contracting

Paying a worker on an ABN when they're really an employee is sham contracting, and since 2024 the law looks at the real relationship. What employers need to know.

3 July 2026 Read → Compliance

Which Australian states require a labour hire licence?

VIC, QLD, SA and the ACT require a labour hire licence; NSW, WA, Tasmania and the NT don't (yet). What it means for you, including fines for using unlicensed providers.

22 June 2026 Read → Hiring

Casual, labour hire or permanent? The real cost of each

Why does a $30-an-hour worker cost $44 through an agency? An honest breakdown of super, workers' comp, payroll tax, leave and labour hire margins in Australia.

19 June 2026 Read → Operations

How to scale a warehouse team fast — without the chaos

Need 20 people on the floor next week? Realistic lead times, the brief that gets a crew fast, the shared WHS duty, and the ramp mistakes that cause churn.

16 June 2026 Read →