ER/IR Unpacked is a monthly podcast from the Australian HR Institute, the trusted home for HR professionals, that helps you to stay ahead of the curve on all things employment and industrial relations. Each episode offers practical and timely tips for the modern HR practitioner.
Host Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR interviews employment lawyer Joydeep Hor to explore when HR practitioners face personal liability and how to protect themselves.
2 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Three employment lawyers answer HR’s ER/IR questions (part two)
Host Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR interviews employment lawyers Kathryn Dent, Will Snow, and Lisa Mannering FCPHR to answer HR's complex industrial and employment relations questions.
26 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
HR's ER/IR questions answered (part one)
Host Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR interviews legal experts Kathryn Dent, Will Snow, and Lisa Mannering FCPHR, addressing common employer ER/IR challenges and offering practical solutions.
26 Jul 2026
Managing safety risk during redundancy, redeployment and restructuring with Kathryn Dent
Host Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR interviews Kathryn Dent, Partner at HWLE Lawyers, on managing psychosocial safety risks during redundancy and restructuring.
28 Jun 2026
How can you maintain psychosocial safety in performance management?
Performance management season is here. Is fear stopping your leaders from having hard, but necessary, conversations?
In this episode of ER/IR Unpacked, we strip away the stress to explore how to effectively navigate performance reviews through a psychosocial safety lens.
We start with a brief ER/IR landscape update from Elisha Middleton, Workplace Relations and Remuneration Lead at Western Power, covering the Fair Work Commission's annual wage review decision, upcoming SCHADS Award restructuring, updates to case management processes via the Building Cooperative Workplaces Bill and Victoria's newly legislated right to work from home.
Then, host Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR goes deep with Kate Connors, Chief Mental Health Advisor and executive coach at Elemental Coaching and Psychology. Kate shares proactive strategies to ease manager anxiety, the behavioral balance of high-quality workplace check-ins and how to co-design performance solutions rather than strictly relying on scripted procedures.
Plus, we tackle the grey areas HR leaders actually face by answering questions from our listeners, focusing on stressful frontline industries, applying trauma-informed practice to performance discussions and balancing economic productivity with psychological safety.
Further learning:
Article – How to protect wellbeing through smarter work design: https://bit.ly/4w8dU5s (https://bit.ly/4w8dU5s)
Article – 4 common psychosocial hazards and how to manage them: https://bit.ly/4xLknVT (https://bit.ly/4xLknVT)
Course – Psychosocial Code of Practice: https://bit.ly/3SwbAH9 (https://bit.ly/3SwbAH9)
Resources:
Guideline – How to have difficult conversations: https://bit.ly/4xOQeVr (https://bit.ly/4xOQeVr)
Guideline – Reviewing or designing jobs to prevent psychosocial harm: https://bit.ly/4alJq7O (https://bit.ly/4alJq7O)
Connect:
Follow AHRI on LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri/)
Connect with Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonwoolfrey/), Elisha Middleton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisha-middleton-7779a415/) and Kate Connors (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-connors-09147228/).
AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/) to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/ (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/)
Not yet an AHRI member (https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership)? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership (https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership)
27 May 2026
What does HR need to know about the NES review?
Australia’s National Employment Standards are getting their first major comprehensive parliamentary review since being implemented in 2009. A flood of submissions from industry groups, unions and individuals highlights the variety of strong opinions about Australia's industrial landscape.
In this episode, we kick off with our monthly industrial relations briefing with Amal Cimino CPHR, AHRI’s HR Standards and Capability Development Manager, who talks about the Closing Loopholes review, Federal budget outcomes and more.
Following this, employment lawyer Lisa Mannering FCPHR joins host Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR to dissect the highest-stakes items on the table in the upcoming NES review, ranging from the fiercely debated push for five weeks of annual leave to the logistical headaches of casual notice periods and the campaign to force AI into mandatory consultation clauses.
To wrap things up, we field a few tricky curveballs from our listeners regarding the potential changes to arise from the review.
Further learning:
5 changes under consideration in the NES review: https://www.ahri.com.au/articles/5-changes-under-consideration-in-the-national-employment-standards-review (https://www.ahri.com.au/articles/5-changes-under-consideration-in-the-national-employment-standards-review)
How casual work could evolve as a result of current legislation reviews: https://www.ahri.com.au/articles/casual-work-legislation-reviews (https://www.ahri.com.au/articles/casual-work-legislation-reviews)
Federal Court judgement: https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2025/2025fca1092 (https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2025/2025fca1092)
Resources:
The Fair Work Commission's Pay and Conditions tool (PACT): https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/ (https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/)
AHRI HR's Federal Budget briefing: https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/v2/D561FAQEmxldWM7ttYA/feedshare-document-pdf-analyzed/B56Z4gQ4AIKoAY-/0/1778657757607?e=1779926400&v=beta&t=bOw2FwRy6X2ojD4uTt2szDKYUZ-K9qTw_dM-hYToqiQ (https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/v2/D561FAQEmxldWM7ttYA/feedshare-document-pdf-analyzed/B56Z4gQ4AIKoAY-/0/1778657757607?e=1779926400&v=beta&t=bOw2FwRy6X2ojD4uTt2szDKYUZ-K9qTw_dM-hYToqiQ)
AHRI's Closing Loopholes draft report: https://www.dewr.gov.au/download/17619/closing-loopholes-review-draft-report/42732/closing-loopholes-review-draft-report/pdf (https://www.dewr.gov.au/download/17619/closing-loopholes-review-draft-report/42732/closing-loopholes-review-draft-report/pdf)
Connect:
Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri/)
Connect with Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonwoolfrey/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonwoolfrey/)
Connect with Amal Cimino CPHR: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amal-cimino-cphr-6375a376/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amal-cimino-cphr-6375a376/)
Connect with Lisa Mannering FCPHR: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mannering/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mannering/)
AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/ (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/)
Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership (https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership)
29 Apr 2026
Is your business on track to meet WGEA's new goal-setting targets?
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency's (WGEA) new gender goal-setting requirements are now in full effect. Is your business on track to satisfy the new requirements?
In this episode of ER/IR Unpacked, we strip away the compliance jargon to tackle the strategic reality of gender reporting and target setting in the workplace. Plus, AHRI's HR Standards and Capability Development Manager, Amal Cimino CPHR, offers a quick update on upcoming ER/IR changes on the horizon.
In our deep dive section, we explore the powerful business case for gender equality with Dr Samone McCurdy, Executive Manager, Insights and Capability at WGEA. We dive into the latest legislative reforms, discuss the new 'menu' of targets for large employers, the importance of board-level transparency and explore how HR can use this data to influence strategy with the C-suite.
Plus, we answer HR's burning listener questions – from the consequences of missing a target to managing baselines during a major company restructure.
Further learning:
9 common questions about the upcoming Payday superannuation changes: https://bit.ly/49vpmzh (https://bit.ly/49vpmzh)
DEI for HR Practitioners: Introduction to DEI practices course: https://bit.ly/490Kmhp (https://bit.ly/490Kmhp)
Resources:
AHRI's WGEA-approved Remuneration and Pay Equity Policy template (exclusive to AHRI members): https://bit.ly/4sF0DQJ (https://bit.ly/4sF0DQJ)
WGEA gender pay gap analysis guide: https://bit.ly/4ncwvdA (https://bit.ly/4ncwvdA)
Connect:
Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri)
Connect with Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonwoolfrey/); Amal Cimino CPHR (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amal-cimino-cphr-6375a376/) and Dr Samone McCurdy. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-samone-mccurdy-69a2398/)
AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/ (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/)
Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/3RlhE4s (https://bit.ly/3RlhE4s)
30 Mar 2026
Is AI creating a legal liability in your organisation?
SHOW NOTES
AI is moving faster than the law – is your business keeping up? In this episode of AHRI's ER/IR Unpacked, we strip away the hype to tackle the complexity and ambiguity of AI in the Australian workplace.
We start with a quick ER/IR landscape update (2:14 mins) from Amal Cimino CPHR, HR Standards and Capability Development Manager at AHRI, before we go deep with Natalie Gaspar, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills (9:00 mins), discussing recent NSW legislation that could impact broader states and territories and whether we should expect specific AI legal obligations on the horizon.
Plus, we tackle the grey areas HR leaders actually face by answering listener questions that keep HR up at night (25:56 mins).
Further learning:
AI & HR: What You Need to Know to Stay Compliant course: https://bit.ly/48eHgWi (https://bit.ly/48eHgWi)
Embedding Responsible AI: Shaping Workforce Planning & Culture course: https://bit.ly/4sHnNpN (https://bit.ly/4sHnNpN)
Resources:
Webinar with WGEA CEO Mary Woolridge (exclusive to AHRI members): https://bit.ly/4uUhz7v (https://bit.ly/4uUhz7v)
Justice Hatcher's AI guidance document: https://bit.ly/4bOm9wB (https://bit.ly/4bOm9wB)
AHRI Remuneration and Pay Equity Policy template: https://bit.ly/4sF0DQJ (https://bit.ly/4sF0DQJ)
Connect:
Follow AHRI on LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri/)
Connect with Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR (linkedin.com/in/jonathonwoolfrey/); Amal Cimino CPHR (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amal-cimino-cphr-6375a376/) and Natalie Gaspar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-gaspar-bb2b395a/).
AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/) to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/ (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/)
Not yet an AHRI member (https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership)? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership (https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership)
16 Mar 2026
ER/IR Unpacked Trailer
Stay ahead of the curve on all things employment and industrial relations with ER/IR Unpacked – a monthly podcast from the Australian HR Institute, the trusted home for HR professionals.
Hosted by experienced HR and IR expert Jonathon Woolfrey FCPHR, each episode offers practical and timely tips for the modern HR practitioner.
SHOW NOTES
Connect:
Connect with Jonathon Woolfrey on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathonwoolfrey/ (http://linkedin.com/in/jonathonwoolfrey/)
Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri/)
AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/ (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/)
Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership (https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership)
Inside a recent episode
When is HR personally liable? with Joydeep Hor
Published 29 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And I've been involved in a countless number of conciliations and hearings where exactly as you say, that question of, well, what kind of an HR function do you guys have? Are they really being given the responsibility or is this an abdication of their responsibility? And it could be anywhere between those kinds of things. And I think this helps. This podcast helps. And this is why we've got this on our agenda, because HR professionals generally are happy to step up to the plate, but they need support to understand and know where their obligations start, finish, and what they're meant to do in organisations. […]
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