For years, Australia’s pub operators have paid entertainers “all-inclusive” fees, while assuming they’d handle their own superannuation as contractors. Recent clarifications to superannuation laws have created a major shake-up for Australia’s entertainment industry, and practices that were long considered standard are now legally questionable.
The shift comes from legislative updates that classify more arrangements as employment rather than contracting – meaning venues,booking agents and event organisers are increasingly responsible for super contributions.
This change has left widespread confusion, and it’s already catching venues off guard. To put it simply, the era of “all-inclusive” fees is over, and superannuation compliance is now an unavoidable part of hiring live performers.
What does this mean for venues?
Publicans and venue operators could face additional costs of up to 12 per cent for super contributions, on top of the administrative burden of compliance. For entertainers, it could mean less take-home pay if agents or venues don’t adjust fees.
Not only is this applicable to entertainers, it also applies to all adjacent contractors, such as lighting and sound technicians, and anybody else involved in the production or presentation of a performance.
The first FY26 compliance deadline is fast approaching on 28 October, and many in the industry are scrambling to understand their obligations, says Jeremiah Siemianow, CEO and co-founder of live entertainment productivity tool Surreal.
“Having spoken with hundreds of venues and agents around the country, I have a genuine and growing concern that much of the industry is unaware of its obligations, meaning many businesses are exposed.
“We can see that there has been significant noise around the topic this year as the majority of our customers are set to have their first load of superannuation contributions made this month.
“For those who are only looking at this for the first time and are yet to stage contributions, my concern is that the regulators won’t accept inaction due to being unaware of obligations, especially now given how many businesses are acting on it,” Siemianow stated.
Get ahead now
Many venues have already adapted to the change of rules and won’t have any issues, but those who are not aware of the laws, or haven’t yet adjusted to the regulations, could be vulnerable to the ATO.
Nobody wants to deal with the additional administrative burden of having to pay superannuation to what many thought were “contractors”, but it is only going to become more complex when payday super arrives in July 2026 and contributions must be paid within seven days rather than quarterly.
With the responsibility falling on venues and agents, and a large portion of the industry already making superannuation contributions on behalf of their entertainers, now is the time to ensure you have the correct processes in place and understand what steps you can take to remove the administrative burden.
Designed to take the weight off hospitality venues and their agencies, Surreal is the only comprehensive and automated superannuation product on the market for the hospitality and entertainment industries, offering the functionality to handle this process with ease.
With the changes in regulations already catching venues off guard, Surreal is here to make these changes known, and support the industry to stay on top of its superannuation requirements.
Siemianow says: “Live entertainment is an essential part of going out and having a good time. It shouldn’t become any harder, for venues to be able to put it on for their patrons. Whilst we’re thankful for the discovery, it is somewhat unfortunate that red tape exists – but it can be managed easily with our tooling. In fact, it’s managed completely for you.”
Not only does Surreal allow venues and their agents to collect superannuation fund details for entertainers and other suppliers, it also automates super calculations and contributions to each entertainer, including reporting and tracking, and offers built-in security to ensure all payments are compliant. In essence, venues and agents can be completely hands off.
By automating your entertainer super admin with Surreal, you’ll be able to collect super details, calculate payments, make payments and keep records all in one place, without the fuss.
Bound by your own contracts terms, as well as the terms and conditions of the platform, Surreal helps venues ensure they’re compliant with superannuation and employment law, and make sure they’re on the right side of the regulations.
Unaware of your super obligations, or interested in deepening your compliance knowledge? Click here to learn more, or book a 10–20 minute superannuation consultation with the Surreal team to make sure you’re compliant.