Employee or contractor: classifying workers on a building site
A signed contract and an ABN do not settle whether a worker is a contractor. The working relationship on site does, and this article sets out the practical test and the paperwork habits that hold up.
11 min read
Topic
Subcontractors
Articles and news about Subcontractors for Australian builders.
Employee or contractor: classifying workers on a building site
A signed contract and an ABN do not settle whether a worker is a contractor. The working relationship on site does, and this article sets out the practical test and the paperwork habits that hold up.
11 min read
Getting experienced subbies to follow site rules without a standoff
Experienced subbies know their trade better than most supervisors, and that is exactly why the old ‘because I said so’ approach fails. Here is how to influence behaviour and hold the line without a standoff.
11 min read
Principal contractor duties on NSW residential sites: WHS and coordination
On a residential site the principal contractor is not a title on a contract, it is a set of WHS duties that attach to whoever holds the role. Here is what those duties require in practice, and where the coordination usually breaks down.
12 min read
Paying subcontractors correctly: the invoicing and TPAR workflow
Most subcontractor disputes are not caused by the contract, they are caused by what happened between the invoice arriving and the money leaving. Here is the payment and reporting workflow that keeps the tax file, the contract file and the site file saying the same thing.
12 min read
When a builder goes under: how subcontractors can protect themselves before and after
Builder and developer collapses hit subcontractors hardest, because they have usually done the work and are last in line to be paid. Most of the protection comes from what you do before the collapse, not after. Here is how to use it.
7 min read
SWMS explained: the 18 high-risk construction work categories and what a good SWMS contains
A safe work method statement is required before high-risk construction work starts. Most builders have plenty of SWMS; far fewer have ones that describe the actual job. Here is what the law requires and how to make a SWMS useful.
7 min read
Bathla Group enters administration with 7,000 homes in its pipeline: what subbies and buyers should do
Bathla Group, a family-owned Sydney developer and builder with projects across NSW, South Australia and Victoria, has appointed Teneo as voluntary administrator. The steps subcontractors, suppliers and home buyers should take now.
6 min read
Consulting workers and subbies on safety decisions: the duty, the steps and the records
Consultation is something you do with the crew on the ground, not a form you keep in the site folder. Here is how to run it so it stands up when a regulator or a certifier asks.
11 min read
Subcontract agreements: the clauses that decide who pays for defects, delays and disputes
Many builders run jobs on a quote and a handshake with their trades. It works until a defect, a delay or a payment dispute. The clauses that protect both builder and subcontractor, and how security of payment laws apply.
7 min read
TPAR for builders: who must lodge by 28 August, what to report and what to leave out
If your business is primarily in building and construction and you pay contractors, the ATO expects a Taxable Payments Annual Report by 28 August. Here is who must lodge, what goes in, what stays out, and how to avoid a penalty.
8 min read
Payday Super for builders: paying super every payday from 1 July 2026
The quarterly super float is gone. From 1 July 2026 employers pay super with every pay run. What that means for a building business’s cash flow, payroll software and subcontractors who are really employees.
10 min read
Checking subcontractor insurance and WHS before they start
The cheapest place to fix a subcontractor compliance problem is your desk, the week before they mobilise. Once they are on site, you own the gap.
12 min read