16/10/2026
“Choosing an agency isn’t a procurement activity, it’s a compliance activity.”
That was the key message at our Navigating Nursing Agency Liability briefing on Wednesday 14 October, presented by Citation Legal and facilitated by Chris Barnard Health.
Around 30 aged care leaders joined us at Hotel Chadstone, with 10 more online, representing about 23 organisations. Michal Roucek and Zaynab Aly broke down big legal topics into clear, practical advice, with no jargon.
Six quick takeaways for providers using agency staff:
✅ Check the labour hire licence before you engage, and keep checking
✅ Build compliance, insurance and audit rights into your contract
✅ Test the rate against the award floor
✅ Reconcile rosters with payslips
✅ Verify qualifications and AHPRA registration yourself
✅ Act quickly on red flags and document everything
The Q&A was full of great questions, from whether to use your own agreement rather than the agency’s, to managing fatigue when a worker takes shifts across several providers.
Thank you to Michal, Zaynab and the Group Legal team, and to everyone who came along and asked the hard questions.
Full media release and slides are in the first comment.
