She was never paid, then fired the day she asked - and the company was empty

A court has ordered a company director to personally pay nearly $34,000 after his business never paid a newly hired executive and dismissed her the day she asked for her wages.

In a decision handed down on August 10, 2026, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia found a small bathroom renovation company breached the Fair Work Act in five separate ways. It then held the company's sole director personally liable for all of them.

The worker was hired as chief operations officer and started on March 1, 2025. A French citizen on a working holiday visa, she had told the director before accepting that she wanted a long-term role and visa sponsorship. Her contract set a base salary of $110,000, paid monthly.

She was never paid. When she began chasing her salary in early April, the director gave a series of reassurances that the court found were false. On one occasion he sent her a screenshot of a bank message that appeared to confirm a $3,500 transfer. The court found the transaction had been falsified. The director later admitted he had lied because he did not have the money at the time.

On April 11, the worker raised her unpaid wages with him again at the office. The court found he became angry, told her to leave, and sent a termination message within the hour - a message he confirmed he had produced using ChatGPT.

The court found the company failed to pay wages, failed to pay accrued annual...

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