Paying People Right: Building Better Payroll

Next date: Friday, 12 June 2026 | 02:00 PM to 03:30 PM

A close-up image of a pen, calculator and weekly planner

The 2026 Business Skills Workshop series, hosted jointly by Darebin and Merri-bek councils, are free workshops led by local industry experts.

The workshops provide business owners with practical insights, that can help you to stay ahead of trends and allow you to make smarter decisions for your business.

About the workshop

Payroll pressure is building for small to medium businesses and the cost of getting it wrong has never been higher.

In Paying People Right: Build Better Payroll, we will unpack what it truly means to build a payroll function that protects your business and supports your people. This session goes beyond compliance basics, it’s about creating clarity, strengthening systems and building confidence in one of the most critical functions in your business.

If you’re responsible for your people, your reputation, or your bottom line — this workshop is essential.

What you will learn

Why getting payroll right matters — from a legal, financial and reputational perspective
Practical strategies to optimise payroll processes, systems and role clarity
How to move from reactive risk management to proactive control
Tools, frameworks and checklists you can immediately apply in your business

Walk away with greater clarity, reduced risk and a roadmap to building a stronger, more resilient payroll function.

Facilitator: Natalee Leach - The Payroll Collective

With 20+ years of payroll expertise under her belt, Natalee Leach, founder and CEO of The Payroll Collective, brings energy, insight and impact to every payroll or business conversation. She’s navigated the complexities of high-volume payroll across industries as diverse as legal, automative, retail, health, education and government earning her a reputation as a sharp strategic thinker and trusted problem solver.

A dynamic speaker and passionate advocate for positive change, Natalee doesn’t just follow best practice, she helps shape it to ‘Better Practice’. Whether she is on stage or behind the scenes, Natalee’s driven to elevate the payroll profession and empower others through knowledge, innovation and leadership.