The State of Payroll in The Land Down Under

On this episode of HR & Payroll 2.0, Pete and Julie welcome Ross Heron, CEO of the Australian Payroll Association to explore one of the world’s fastest-evolving and complex payroll landscapes! Ross unpacks why Australia has surged up the global payroll complexity rankings, how new legislation is reshaping employer accountability, and why compliance is becoming a board-level conversation. Together, they dive into the mounting risks facing payroll leaders, the accelerating talent and payroll skill shortage, and the emerging role of payroll as a strategic, data-driven advisor to the business. Ross shares what’s driving innovation, where AI adoption truly stands, and how forward-thinking organizations are reimagining payroll as a financial well-being engine and not just an administrative function amid unprecedented regulatory and technological change. Connect with Ross & the Australian Payroll Association: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossheron/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/australian-payroll-association Website: https://austpayroll.com.au/ ‘Beryl’ AI Payroll Assistant: https://info.austpayroll.com.au/beryl-payroll-assistant Australian Industry Report 2025: https://austpayroll.com.au/2025-payroll-industry-report Australian AI Adoption Report 2025: https://austpayroll.com.au/payroll-ai-adoption-report Connect with the show: LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0 X: @HRPayroll2_0 X: @PeteTiliakos X: @JulieFer_HR BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0