The problem with free templates
The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes free templates. So do government business portals and half a dozen legal template sites.
They're free because they are generic. They cover the bare minimum, in the favour of your employees.
They are written to be safe for the government to publish, not to protect your specific business.
Here is what free templates fail to provide:
No 'Offset' terms that protect you, when you pay 'Above-Award' rates. Leaving you with no contractual defence against underpayment claims, no matter how much you're paying staff.
No control over the Right to Disconnect. Leaves you vulnerable without a contractual position to deny unreasonable claims.
No restraint of trade clause. Your employee leaves and takes your clients. The free templates leave you exposed.
No intellectual property assignment. You can lose the work created by your employees when the free templates don't address this.
No Modern Award integration. Free templates are Award-agnostic. If your employee is covered by an Award, the contract needs to reflect that. A generic template does not.
No confidentiality provisions beyond the basics. No social media clauses, no post-employment obligations, no teeth.
No probation clause that actually works. Most free templates include a probation period with no detail on what happens during or after it. That is not a clause, it is a sentence.
A free template gives you a piece of paper. Our templates give you a document that will hold up when it matters.
Prices from $49. Instant download. Word format
Who writes these templates,
and why it matters
The HR Cartel is not a template factory. We are a practising HR and Industrial Relations consultancy. We represent employers at the Fair Work Commission. We run workplace investigations. We manage dismissals, restructures, and Award compliance for businesses across Australia.
Every template we sell is built from the same frameworks we use with our retained clients, the businesses paying us monthly for embedded HR support.
The difference between our templates and a lawyer-drafted contract is not quality. It is price. Lawyer-drafted contracts cost $3,500 to $5,000 each because you are paying for a solicitor's time - and that clock is running by the second.
Our templates are built by advanced-level HR and IR professional who do this work every day, and you can access them as a DIY, at a fraction of the cost because you are paying just for the document.
The difference between our templates and a free one is clear.
Ease. Clarity. Employer-first protection. Structure. Depth. Compliance. Practical enforceability.
How we compare
Questions you should be asking
"How do I know which template I need, Award or Non-Award?"
If your employees are covered by a Modern Award (and most are), you need an Award contract. If they are senior managers, high-income professionals, or in roles where no Award applies, you'll likely need Non-Award.
Not sure? Add our Expert Setup Consultation to your order, we'll help confirm your Award coverage and correct classification in the first 15 minutes of the call.
"What if the law changes after I buy?"
Employment legislation changes regularly. We review and update our templates when significant changes occur.
If you're seeking a service that provides you with regular updates and warnings or advice whenever laws change, you need to explore our HR Cartel memberships.
All templates are current as at the time of purchase.
"Are these just generic templates with your logo on them?"
No. Every template is purpose-built by HR Cartel's team, the same professionals who represent employers at Fair Work hearings, run workplace investigations, and manage compliance for retained clients.
We do not resell or rebrand third-party templates. We do not use AI to generate contract templates. These are drafted manually by people who do this work every day and know exactly what holds up under scrutiny.
"Why wouldn't I just get a lawyer to draft my contracts?"
You can. A solicitor will charge you $3,500 to $5,000 per contract, and the document will be excellent. If you have overly complicated and unusual employment arrangements, that may be required, but it's usually overkill and can actually reduce flexibility for employers.
Our templates and tools are the documents that 90% of Australian SMEs need, you do not need a solicitor. You need a well-drafted, compliant template that you can customise with your business details. That is what you get.
If you want a professional to walk you through the templates after purchase, our Expert Setup Consultation starts at $149 when bundled. That is far-less than a single hour with a solicitor.
"Will these work for my industry?"
Yes. Our contracts are designed to work across all industries. The Award contracts reference Modern Award obligations generally, you insert the specific Award name and classification level for your employees. The Non-Award contracts are built for roles where no Award applies, regardless of industry.
Our templates are used by businesses in over 50 different industries. The underlying compliance framework, the Fair Work Act and the National Employment Standards, applies to every federal system employer in Australia.
"I only have a few employees. Do I really need formal contracts?"
Yes. Every employee should have a written statement of their employment terms. Practically, the risk is highest for small employers, because one unfair dismissal claim or one underpayment dispute hits harder when you have 8 employees than when you have 800.
Most of the employers we help at the Fair Work Commission are businesses with 5 to 50 staff. The pattern is almost always the same: no written contracts, no documented process, extremely difficult to defend.
Why employers trust The HR Cartel
Fair Work Commission representation
We represent employers in unfair dismissal, general protections, and anti-bullying matters. We know what holds up, and what does not.
Practising HR & IR professionals
Not a template mill. Not a law firm. Working HR professionals who manage real employment relationships for real businesses, every day
SME focused
We work extensively with businesses that have between 5 and 200 employees. Everything we build is designed for that scale, not huge enterprises.
Australian-built, Australian
specific
Every template is drafted for the Australian legislative framework, Fair Work Act. NES. Modern Awards. State and territory WHS laws. No US or UK imports.
Yes. Every employee should have a written statement of their employment terms. Practically, the risk is highest for small employers, because one unfair dismissal claim or one underpayment dispute hits harder when you have 8 employees than when you have 800.
Most of the employers we help at the Fair Work Commission are businesses with 5 to 50 staff. The pattern is almost always the same: no written contracts, no documented process, extremely difficult to defend.
How it works
1. Choose your templates. Individual contracts from $79. Individual policies from $49. Bundles save up to 36%.
2. Download instantly. Every template is delivered as a Microsoft Word file, in a Zip folder for bundles. Editable, customisable, ready to use.
3. Add your details. Insert your company name, ABN, employee details, role information, and pay rates. The compliance framework is already built in.
4. Optional Expert Setup support. Add on a support call with a HR Cartel consultant. We'll help you identify your Award coverage, walk through the critical components of using your template and flag the traps. From $149 when bundled.
All templates in editable Word Format. Instant download after purchase.