The HR Cartel Podcast

This week, Tim dives into a Fair Work Commission decision that, thankfully, was a win for common sense. After a council worker pushed back on being forced to participate in an Acknowledgement of Country at a routine pre-start meeting, Traditional Corporate HR jumped into overdrive with a misconduct process that ended in termination. But the Commission disagreed. This episode unpacks why the decision matters, how it protects employe...

In this episode, Tim Dive lays out his blueprint for an Australian industrial relations overhaul, as if he were Prime Minister. Drawing on recent government overreach (5,000+ new rules in three years) and the Fair Work Commission’s tone-deaf stance toward small employers, Tim proposes splitting the Commission into a Small Business Division (≤50 staff) and a Big Business Division, mandating productivity-impact reviews for every Awar...

In this episode, we look at a perfect example of employee entitlement, and explore COST - including above-inflation wage rises handed down by the Fair Work Commission. We expose the cost pressures threatening nearly every small and medium business in Australia, and explore the warnings from recent fair work decisions about offshore contracting traps. We also reveal the untapped flexibility hidden in modern awards. You’ll learn how ...

In this mid-year update, Tim dives deep into the shifting sands of Australian industrial relations. With wage rises, gender-based award adjustments, superannuation hikes, and a flood of new IR regulations hitting small and medium-sized employers, it’s never been more critical to know exactly what’s coming and how to prepare. Tim breaks down the Fair Work Commission’s recent wage decision, owns a learning curve on gender-based award...

In this raw and unfiltered episode, we take a hard look at the current landscape for Australian employers. From record-high insolvencies in hospitality and construction to the mounting pressures of wage rises and legislation changes, the real cost of doing business in 2025 is becoming clearer, and more dangerous.

We break down alarming statements from Fair Work Commission leadership, unpack the ideology dominating Australia’s IR sy...

In this episode of the HR Cartel, host Tim Dive dives deep into the reality facing Australian business owners post-election. With a government that shows no signs of lifting the cost burden on small and medium-sized employers, Tim breaks down the pressing challenges and what business leaders must now do to survive.

From skyrocketing wage costs and new criminal liabilities under wage theft laws, to the real-world implications of wor...

In this explosive episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive dives deep into a high-stakes restraint of trade case where an ex-employee tried to take $120M worth of tender intel to a direct competitor, and the courts actually stepped in.

📌 Interim restraint orders were granted—three months after the employee had already jumped ship, proving that restraint clauses can work… when they’re written properly.

But just as courts begin ba...

Episode 073: The 10 Adjustments Employers Are Making to Survive the Next 12-24 Months

In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive breaks down the real-world moves smart employers are making right now to tackle rising costs, productivity loss, and compliance risks in an increasingly hostile business environment.

With union wish lists becoming law, wage theft risks on the rise, and Fair Work changes biting hard, the next year ...

In this firecracker episode, we take the gloves off and call out an alarming trend: ideological activism embedded in the Fair Work Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman.

With a controversial decision just handed down, targeting modern awards through the lens of gender-based undervaluation, we ask the tough questions no one else is willing to:

• Is the Commission ...

In this raw and unfiltered episode, Tim Dive sits down with one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs, Phillip Di Bella; founder of Di Bella Coffee and The Coffee Commune, and passionate advocate for small business.

Together, they cut through the noise and dive deep into the real state of play for business owners in Australia. From red tape and rising costs, to leadership mindset and why trust in government is fading, nothin...

"The Non-Compete Chaos & What It Really Means for Small Business"

In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive delivers a raw and unfiltered breakdown of the recent and proposed workplace legislation changes that could drastically shift how small and medium-sized businesses operate in Australia. From the alarming plans to outlaw non-compete clauses to the ever-growing influence of unions, this episode cuts through the noi...

In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim breaks down the real impact of the current Labor government’s workplace law reforms. Small and medium businesses are facing an unprecedented compliance burden, extra admin, higher operational costs, and serious risks for directors and managers. Tim cuts through the noise to show you exactly what’s changed, why it matters, and how it’s affecting business owners, leaders and managers. If ...

With Tropical Cyclone Alfred looming off the coast, businesses across Queensland and Northern NSW are scrambling to prepare—not just for the storm, but for the workforce challenges that come with it.

In this audio-only, remote episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive cuts through the confusion surrounding stand-down provisions, temporary shutdowns, and employer obligations during extreme weather events. With misinformation circul...

In this episode of The HR Cartel, host Tim Dive discusses the evolving workplace compliance landscape in Australia. With the increasing complexities of regulations and the growing administrative burden on small and medium-sized businesses, Tim discusses the critical need for businesses to shift from mere compliance to strategic success.

He explores:

• The Fair Work Commission's shifting dynamics, including the impact of leadersh...

As we charge into 2025, the challenges for Australian small and medium-sized businesses continue to grow. In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, host Tim Dove breaks down the key decisions business owners must make to stay ahead in an increasingly complex and high-risk environment.

From the criminalisation of wage theft to skyrocketing labour costs, stricter compliance requirements, and economic uncertainty, businesses are facin...

Is there such a thing as a risk-free termination? Not exactly—but there are smarter, safer ways to approach it. In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive breaks down the termination types that carry the least risk for employers, from probation periods and the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code to redundancies and high-income earners.

But that’s not all. With small and medium-sized businesses under immense pressure—rising c...

Welcome back to The HR Cartel Podcast, and welcome to 2025, the most compliance-heavy, regulator-driven era we’ve ever seen for small and medium-sized businesses in Australia.

In this episode, we're busting some of the biggest small business myths that are holding owners and leaders back, including some that could cost you big money, land you in legal trouble, or even shut you down.

Think small businesses don’t need HR systems? Thi...

Welcome to 2025, where wage theft is now a criminal offense! In this episode of the HR Cartel Podcast, Tim dives deep into the newly implemented Wage Theft laws under the Fair Work Act. With potential fines reaching millions and the looming risk of jail time, Tim breaks down the Voluntary Small Business Wage Compliance Code to help employers understand what’s required to stay on the right side of the law.

From avoiding underpayment...

In this episode of the HR Cartel Podcast, host Tim Dive takes a reflective look at 2024, a year he describes as "historic" for workplace relations in Australia. Tim dives deep into the seismic shifts driven by union advancements, legislative overhauls, and the unexpected unraveling of the modern union movement. From the challenges small and medium businesses face in navigating complex laws to the critical role SMEs play in driving ...