About the Webinar

2026 has given employers plenty to think about. Changes in workplace laws, regulatory activity and the way workplace issues are playing out in practice have created new risks, but also some important lessons.

In ABLA’s final webinar for the year, Nigel Ward, CEO and Director, and Luis Izzo, Managing Director, will step back from the day-to-day noise and have a frank discussion about what they have seen across Australian workplaces during 2026, what employers should learn from it, and where they see the pressure points developing in 2027.

Rather than simply running through legislative changes, Nigel and Luis will share their perspectives on:

Key developments in workplace and industrial relations issues in 2026
Where employers are getting caught out, and what those experiences tell us
Anticipated issues and changes to watch in 2027
What employers should be prioritising in the year ahead.

Expect a practical and candid conversation about what matters, what may be coming next and where employers should be focusing their attention.

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Presenters

Nigel Ward

CEO and Director

Nigel Ward is one of Australia’s leading advocates and practitioners in employee and industrial relations with more than 35 years of experience.

In his capacity as the leading employer industrial advocate, Nigel appears regularly before the Fair Work Commission in major industry cases for the peak employer association, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other major employer organisations.

Nigel has worked on numerous significant cases during the past year. Of great significance is the Aged-Care Work Value case that is likely to be the most significant challenge to the Fair Work Act since it began.

It is likely that Nigel is one of Australia’s leading experts on owner driver negotiations, illustrated by the fact he was called as an expert witness in the General Carriers Contract Determination (GCCD) case. In this case the NSW Industrial Relations Commission accepted the model of rates and costs put forward by Nigel.

Luis Izzo

Managing Director

Luis oversees ABLA's Sydney Workplace Relations practice and has over a decade’s experience practicing as a specialist employment and industrial relations lawyer acting for a broad range of employers across both the private and public sector.

His advocacy experience in State and Federal Courts and Tribunals is extensive. In addition to achieving successful outcomes for clients as an advocate in numerous unfair dismissal and industrial dispute arbitrations, Luis acted as one of the lead employer advocates in the 2014/2015 Fair Work Commission Annual Leave Test Case as well as the highly publicised 2016/2017 Penalty Rates Test Case. More recent success includes representation of the Australian Chamber and Business NSW respectively in the first proceedings involving multi-bargaining authorisations under the new Federal IR Reforms, industry wide proceedings pertaining to overtime award provisions for casuals and inserting new schedules into modern awards in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has conducted numerous investigations for clients in relation to internal employment disputes and bullying and harassment matters and continues to be a lead litigator in the developing General Protections and bullying jurisdictions.

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Workplace Relations Insights and 2027 Outlook

Workplace Relations Insights and 2027 Outlook

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