Aspley has the profile of a long-established suburb: accounting firms, brokers, agencies, dealerships, medical and dental practices, and the retail strung along Gympie Road. Many of these businesses have been operating for decades with a small, stable team, which brings its own particular set of problems.
The most common one is the assumption of being award-free. Professional firms often are, for their senior roles. But the administrative, bookkeeping, reception and coordination roles underneath them are usually covered by the Clerks — Private Sector Award, and a long-serving office manager on a salary set years ago is exactly the situation where a shortfall accumulates without anyone intending it.
The other is contracts that have not moved with the job. A team that has been together fifteen years is a genuine asset, but the paperwork frequently dates from a role that no longer resembles what the person does. Duties drift, award coverage follows the duties, and the contract stays in the filing cabinet describing a job from 2011.