On Thursday 21 May, we hosted the annual 2026 Workplace Relations Conference, taking a deep dive into the topics, trends, and regulations shaping today’s workforces and workplaces.

The event brought together business leaders, HR professionals, regulators, industry experts and legal specialists to unpack the nature of modern workplaces and to connect, learn and share ideas.

Some of the top takeaways from the day included:

• Workplace relations has become a core business risk issue, with reforms around same job, same pay, consultation, psychosocial hazards and union powers fundamentally changing how businesses make decisions.

• Businesses are now judged as much on how decisions are made as the decisions themselves, with genuine consultation, lawful process and disciplined governance becoming critical protections against legal and reputational risk.

• The most valuable HR and ER capabilities are judgement, enterprise thinking, communication and adaptability, as businesses increasingly need leaders who can balance commercial outcomes with compliance, trust and engagement.

Thank you to our speakers and panellists or sharing your time and expertise – and to our event supporters The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Australian Government’s Productivity, Education and Training Fund and our valued partner Gilchrist Connell. To all the businesses who joined us in the room and online, we hope to see you again next year.