FREE CPD PROGRAM
Fostering Positive and Compliant Workplaces In Healthcare
A comprehensive multi-disciplinary program for human and animal health professionals, practice owners and managers in managing common people management issues and industry-specific modern award obligations.
Developed in partnership with Avant Law
Earn up to XX hours including Measuring Outcomes & Reviewing Performance
Education in this program
3-Part Foundational Series
Know Your Award - Specialty Focussed Series
About this education
Presented by Avant Law in partnership with Praxhub, this series equips human and animal health professionals with the legal frameworks required to maintain safe, compliant workplaces. Specialist legal experts will cover critical topics ranging from managing workplace complaints, misconduct, and dismissals, to navigating sector-specific awards for nursing, pharmacy, veterinary, and allied health and support services.
Gain actionable insights to comply with your ‘positive duty’ regarding sex-based harassment and discrimination and to manage employee underperformance, while mitigating legal risks including unfair dismissal claims and claims for underpayment of wages.
Program Structure
This program consists of:
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a 3-part foundational webinar series, relevant to all healthcare professionals, practices owners and managers (register for one to gain access to all 3)
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separate 'Know Your Award' webinars for practice owners and managers of human and animal health clinics, and pharmacies. Register to attend whichever is relevant to your field.
3-Part Foundational Series
For all healthcare professionals, practice owners, managers and HR.
Register for one webinar to gain access to all three.
FOUNDATIONAL SERIES PART 1
Thursday 19 February 2026, 7:30-8:30pm AEDT
Building a safe and respectful workplace is no longer just a 'nice-to-have' - it is a critical legal obligation. This webinar moves beyond basic compliance to help you foster a genuine culture of safety. We will unpack unlawful behaviours—including discrimination, sexual harassment, and bullying - and clarify exactly when laws apply, from the practice to the Christmas party.
Crucially, we will examine the "positive duty", which requires businesses to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sex-based discrimination and harassment. You will learn how to distinguish between bullying and reasonable management action, understand the risks of vicarious and personal liability, and gain frameworks to respond effectively if misconduct occurs.
Register for this webinar to gain automatic access to all 3 in the foundational series.
* Measuring Outcomes activity will be made available upon the conclusion of the live webinar.
Employment Lawyer
Employment Lawyer
FOUNDATIONAL SERIES PART 2
Wednesday 25 February 2026, 7:30-8:30pm AEDT
In this session, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the legal frameworks governing workplace complaints, including how to distinguish bullying from reasonable management action, navigating complaints about workplace sexual harassment, and managing work-related conduct that involves social media or work-related functions. Your expert presenters will guide you through the rights and obligations of all parties—complainants, respondents, and employers—providing you with the confidence to assess when an investigation is required and how to ensure procedural fairness. By mastering these concepts, practice owners and managers will be better equipped to mitigate legal risks such as vicarious liability and meet their positive duty to eliminate sex-based discrimination and harassment, and individuals will have more confidence to raise or respond to workplace complaints, ensuring a safer and more compliant workplace.
Register for this webinar to gain automatic access to all 3 in the foundational series.
* Measuring Outcomes activity will be made available upon the conclusion of the live webinar.
Employment Lawyer
Employment Lawyer
FOUNDATIONAL SERIES PART 3
Thursday 12 March 2026, 7:30-8:30pm AEDT
Effectively managing employee performance and misconduct is critical for minimising legal risk, yet many employers struggle to have the difficult conversations that can significant mitigate their legal risk. Join employment law experts Stephen Schoninger and Savanna Russo as they guide you through the challenging landscape of managing employees, from managing lower-level performance or conduct concerns, to formal performance and misconduct management processes. In this session, you will gain the clarity needed to distinguish between performance and conduct issues, manage a procedurally fair performance or misconduct process and navigate disciplinary processes and outcomes with confidence. By mastering these procedures, you will be better equipped to make defensible termination decisions, significantly reducing your exposure to costly legal claims including claims for unfair dismissal or adverse action.
Register for this webinar to gain automatic access to all 3 in the foundational series.
* Measuring Outcomes activity will be made available upon the conclusion of the live webinar.
Employment Lawyer
Employment Lawyer
SPECIALTY FOCUS: MEDICAL & ALLIED HEALTH
Thursday 26 March 2026, 7:30-8:30pm AEDT
In this session, you will gain a practical understanding of some key provisions of the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020, the foundational workplace instrument governing administrative and allied health staff employed in private medical and healthcare practices. Your expert presenters will guide you through complex provisions of the award, including how to classify your employees, understanding the nuances of the overtime and penalty provisions of the award, and navigating the strict requirements for meal and tea breaks. The presentation will also take you through the importance of ensuring business who pay above award rates of pay have an appropriate legal mechanism in place to ensure they are receiving the benefit of any above award payments. By understanding your legal obligations under the award, you will be better equipped to ensure compliance, avoid costly underpayment claims, and manage your workforce rosters more effectively.
* Measuring Outcomes activity will be made available upon the conclusion of the live webinar.
Employment Lawyer
Employment Lawyer
SPECIALTY FOCUS: NURSING
Thursday 9 April 2026, 7:30-8:30pm AEST
The 24/7 nature of nursing care creates a complex web of entitlements under the Nurses Award 2020 that every private medical or healthcare practice that employs nurses must navigate. Join Stephen Schoninger and Savanna Russo for a comprehensive overview of the specific obligations of employers of nursing staff, from understanding classification structures to the complex interaction between shift loadings, weekend penalties, and overtime rates. In this session, you will gain the insights needed to manage unique provisions of the award, such as Accrued Days Off and additional annual leave entitlements. By mastering these concepts, you will be better equipped to structure compliant rosters and ensure your nursing staff are paid correctly, mitigating the risk of claims.
* Measuring Outcomes activity will be made available upon the conclusion of the live webinar.
Employment Lawyer
Employment Lawyer
SPECIALTY FOCUS: ANIMAL HEALTH
Thursday 23 April 2026, 7:30-8:30pm AEST
Veterinary practices face unique compliance challenges under the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020, particularly regarding the distinct rules that apply to veterinary surgeons compared to support staff. Join expert presenters Stephen Schoninger and Savanna Russo as they unpack these industry-specific nuances, including the unique hours of work, penalty and overtime provisions. In this session, you will gain crucial insights into managing "active on-call" duty versus standard on-call allowances, as well as the specific requirements for professional development leave and notice periods for termination. By mastering these obligations, you will be better equipped to ensure compliance and manage your practice’s legal risks effectively.
* Measuring Outcomes activity will be made available upon the conclusion of the live webinar.
Employment Lawyer
Employment Lawyer
SPECIALTY FOCUS: PHARMACY
Thursday 7 May 2026, 7:30-8:30pm AEST
In this session, you will gain a deep understanding of some of the key provisions of the Pharmacy Industry Award 2020, with a focus on clauses of the award that frequently trip up community pharmacies. Your expert presenters will guide you through the complex rostering and hours of work requirements for part-time employees and understanding overtime and penalty provisions of the award. By mastering these key provisions—including the application of penalty rates within the broad span of hours and the specific allowances for tasks like home medicine reviews—you will be better equipped to implement accurate payroll systems and avoid the common mistakes that can lead to claims by employees.
* Measuring Outcomes activity will be made available upon the conclusion of the live webinar.
Employment Lawyer
Employment Lawyer
Meet Your Presenters
Employment Law | Partner, Head of Employment & Workplace, Avant Law
Stephen Schoninger is a Partner and the Head of the Employment & Workplace practice at Avant Law, bringing over 20 years of experience practising exclusively in employment, industrial relations, and discrimination laws. An engaging workplace trainer and experienced investigator, Stephen is renowned for his ability to provide plain, pragmatic advice on complex issues ranging from workplace bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination to unfair dismissals and adverse action. He partners with healthcare clients to effectively manage sensitive performance and misconduct matters, ensuring they successfully navigate the legal intricacies of sector-specific awards and the Fair Work Act to mitigate liability and maintain safe, compliant workplaces.
Employment Law | Senior Associate, Employment & Workplace, Avant Law
Savanna Russo is a Senior Associate in the Employment & Workplace practice at Avant Law, based in Sydney, where she draws on extensive experience advising medical and allied health businesses on all areas of employment law. Savanna provides practical, solutions-focused advice to help employers manage complex workplace dynamics. In this series, she shares her expertise on managing sensitive workplace complaints, employee performance, and misconduct, while helping healthcare professionals navigate the specific legal obligations found in the Health Professionals, Nurses, Veterinary Services, and Pharmacy Industry awards.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Certificates of completion will be automatically issued any time a piece of education is completed, whether live or on-demand - available via your Praxhub History.
RACGP Quicklog
RACGP Members are encouraged to log hours via RACGP Quicklog.
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Please note that any additional reading or learning connected to this activity can be self recorded with your CPD body.
Praxhub is an accredited Major Provider under the RACGP CPD Program.
Praxhub is a Certified Learning Provider under the AMA's CPDHome CPD Program.
Automatic hours lodgement
RACGP and AMA/CPDHome members can now enjoy the convenience of rapid, automatic EA hours lodgement for this education. See your completed hours lodged within 24 hours.* Too easy!
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Disclaimer: The information in these workshops do not constitute legal, financial or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. It is intended only to provide a summary and general overview on matters of interest and it is not intended to be comprehensive. Persons implementing any recommendations contained in these workshops must exercise their own independent skill or judgment and seek appropriate professional advice relevant to their own particular circumstances.
Legal services are provided by Avant Law Pty Ltd (ACN 136 429 153) (Avant Law). Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. Legal practitioners employed by Avant Law are members of the scheme. While we endeavour to ensure that documents are as current as possible at the time of preparation, we take no responsibility for matters arising from changed circumstances or information or material which may have become available subsequently. Avant Mutual Group Limited and its subsidiaries will not be liable for any loss or damage, however caused that may be directly or indirectly suffered by you or anyone else in connection with the use of information provided in this presentation.