Hunter Employee Relations

Hunter Employee Relations provides Australian employment law consulting to small and medium employers across the Newcastle, Hunter and Central Coast regions of New South Wales, led by Principal Consultant Michael Schmidt.

• Founded in 2008 by Michael Schmidt, who brings over 30 years of employee relations and human resources experience across multiple industries.
• Advises employers on Modern Awards, the National Employment Standards and the Fair Work Act, and represents them in Fair Work Commission and Australian Human Rights Commission proceedings covering unfair dismissal, general protections and sexual harassment claims.
• A Lampson Australia HR Manager reports being guided through performance terminations, Enterprise Agreement negotiations and restructuring redundancies since 2008; Whitebridge Butchery reports a general protections claim resolved with a nil settlement and no Federal Court action.
• Operates on an hourly consulting rate or a prepayment arrangement with no lock in contracts or monthly retainers, and offers employment contract templates and a payroll compliance audit checklist.

Best for: small to medium employers in the Newcastle, Hunter or Central Coast region needing ongoing, contract free guidance on Award compliance, terminations and Fair Work Commission matters.

Hunter Employee Relations offers Workplace Investigations for employers across the Newcastle, Hunter and Central Coast regions, run directly by Principal Consultant Michael Schmidt rather than junior staff.

• Investigates misconduct and policy or safety breaches, bullying and sexual harassment, attitude and performance issues, and workplace culture grievances.
• Notes that Australian Human Rights Commission compensation claims for sexual harassment often exceed 50,000 to 60,000 dollars even for minor incidents, framing the risk of skipping a proper investigation.
• Positions a professional, confidential investigation as key evidence for defending subsequent unfair dismissal or general protections proceedings in the Fair Work Commission.

Best for: employers facing a bullying, harassment or misconduct complaint who need an independent, defensible investigation before taking disciplinary action.