Everything above board
We guarantee peace of mind to both clients and employees. If an arrangement only works when nobody looks closely at it, it is not an arrangement we will set up.
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About us
We exist so the people who show visitors this country can be employed properly — and so the companies who engage them can be certain that they are.
What we are
An employment service built around one industry
The Guiding Professionals is an end-to-end employment services provider for Australian tour guiding. We support tour guiding professionals and clients with all their employment-related needs — contracts, payroll, compliance and HR.
Managing employee pay rates and staying on top of ever-changing legislation are tasks that should be left to experts. We ensure compliance and provide the HR expertise, so you can focus on what you do best.
We work with guides and with the companies that engage them, right across Australia.
How we work
Three things we hold to
Specialists, not generalists
We provide expert advice to your industry because we really understand what is involved — the seasons, the split shifts, the remote work, the way a guiding roster actually behaves.
End to end
From the employment contract through to the payslip, the super payment and the statutory record. One party is accountable for the whole chain, which means nothing falls between two providers.
Where we fit
Accreditation and employment are two different things
Australian guiding already has a national professional body. Tour Guides Australia — formed in 2021 from the amalgamation of Guiding Organisations Australia and the Professional Tour Guides Association of Australia — runs the Professional Tour Guide Accreditation Program and is a full member of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.
That programme covers professional standards: location knowledge, interpretation, first aid, liability insurance, formal qualifications. It is what tells an operator that a guide is good at guiding.
What it does not cover is the employment relationship underneath — whether a guide is an employee or a contractor, whether the right award rate is being paid, whether superannuation is landing, whether anyone is covered if there is an injury on a remote road.
That gap is where we work. Accreditation says a guide is a professional. We make sure they are employed like one.
Reference: Tour Guides Australia — What is a Professional Tour Guide?
The framework
What we keep track of, so you do not have to
Guiding sits in an awkward corner of Australian employment law. These are the moving parts we watch.
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Award coverage is not a fixed answer
A tour guide may be covered by any of six industry awards — Amusement, Hospitality, Live Performance, Passenger Vehicle, Racing Clubs Events or Wine — and by the Miscellaneous Award where none of them applies. Coverage depends on the industry the employer operates in and whether the award holds a classification matching that person’s duties and qualifications. It is why two guides doing similar work can sit under different awards on different rates.
Sources: Fair Work Ombudsman — Award coverage for tour guides · MA000080
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Superannuation changed shape this year
The super guarantee rate has been 12% since 1 July 2025. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires employers to pay super on every payday rather than quarterly, with contributions received by the fund within seven business days. It is calculated on qualifying earnings, a broader base than ordinary time earnings.
Sources: ATO — About Payday Super · Fair Work Ombudsman
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Who counts as an employee was redefined
Since 26 August 2024 the Fair Work Act determines employment status by the real substance and practical reality of the relationship, not just what the contract calls it. The defence to a sham contracting claim also moved from a recklessness test to a reasonableness test. In an industry where ABN arrangements are common, that matters.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman — Independent contractor changes
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Labour hire licensing differs by state
Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT run labour hire licensing schemes; New South Wales and Western Australia do not. South Australia expanded its scheme on 29 January 2026 to cover all labour hire providers rather than only high-risk industries. A licence in one state does not carry to another — relevant to anyone running guides across borders.
The information on this page is general in nature and current at the time of writing. It is not legal advice, and it does not take account of your particular circumstances. For advice on your situation, get in touch.
Still to come
The part only you can write
To confirm
Who we are. This page has no founder or team story yet, because inventing one would be worse than leaving it out. Needed: who runs The Guiding Professionals, their background in guiding or employment services, how long the business has operated, and where it is based.
To confirm
Credentials and registrations. Needed: ABN, any labour hire licences held and in which states, professional indemnity and public liability cover, workers compensation policy arrangements, and any industry memberships.
Want to know who you would be dealing with?
Ask us anything about how we work, and we will answer plainly.