When contracting arrangements aren't clear on paper and are murky in practice, they become like the proverbial "ticking bomb", potentially resulting in massive back-pay orders for wages, superannuation contributions, and other modern award or NES entitlements.

According to Hicksons partner Brad Swebeck, a court ruling that a contractor is actually an employee can be financially catastrophic for a business - whatever its size - "but there are ways to defuse or minimise this risk".

In this presentation, Brad explains how to:

• determine whether to engage workers as contractors or employees;
• ensure arrangements satisfy established principal/contractor tests;
• review existing arrangements to clarify your liability;
• adapt contracts and practices to reverse the risk; and
• avoid the risks associated with long-term contracting arrangements.

You'll be posted a CD containing the presentation and Q&A (in both Quicktime and Windows Media formats), and presenters' slides.

View an excerpt below.