Australia's industrial relations landscape is complex
With over 122 awards, thousands of Enterprise Agreements, state-based Long Service Leave rules and Superannuation obligations, managing payroll compliance is no easy task. Our automated audit platform helps large organisations stay compliant and in control.
Our story
Yellow Canary was founded in 2017. As underpayment issues began making headlines more often, it became clear that even large, well-resourced organisations were finding it difficult to stay on top of payroll compliance.
We set out to build a better, more effective way for businesses to strengthen their governance and stay ahead of compliance risks.
Bringing confidence and visibility to payroll compliance
Yellow Canary’s automated, AI-powered platform conducts both historical and ongoing audits to identify, quantify, and diagnose the root causes of payroll variance across employee payments, Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements, Superannuation, and Long Service Leave.
#YCexplainer
Eliminate guesswork. Make informed decisions.
Assess accuracy
Have you paid employees in accordance with the relevant pay rules?
Identify scope
If you have not paid your employees correctly, how big is the issue?
Pinpoint cause
If you have identified an issue, what exactly is the root cause?
The leadership team behind our vision
Leverage expertise in technology, data, payroll, and employment law shaped by experience across 110+ large-scale pay reviews.
Living our values in everything we do
At Yellow Canary, our values shape how we work and who we are. We bring them to life by hiring with them in mind, celebrating those who live them, sharing real stories, and keeping them front and centre in everything we do.
We'll let the numbers do the talking.
110+
large scale pay reviews completed
$100+ billion
of employee data reviewed
375k+
employees reviewed
100%
of pay reviews have found non-compliance
Automate audits with solutions built by experts
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Who is Yellow Canary?
Yellow Canary is a growing RegTech scale-up that enables Australian employers to achieve compliance confidence across employee payments, entitlements and Long Service Leave. Supporting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) obligations, Yellow Canary’s Always On Compliance platform automates regular reviews, comparing payments to obligations, and providing rapid actionable insights.
What does Yellow Canary do?
Yellow Canary challenges the traditional approach to workforce compliance. Their automated solutions are designed to support companies navigating the complexities of the Australian industrial relations system, and to enable ongoing compliance due diligence.
Who are Yellow Canary’s founders?
Yellow Canary was founded in 2018 by Marcus Zeltzer and Brenton McSweyn to address under-serviced and widespread workforce compliance issues in Australian businesses.
Is wage theft a crime in Australia?
State specific wage theft laws in Queensland and Victoria mean that employers in those states can face criminal charges and convictions as a result of wage theft.
Under the Closing Loopholes Act 2023, intentional wage theft will carry severe penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines reaching $1,565,000 for individuals and $7,825,000 for corporations, or three times the value of the underpayment – whichever is higher.
The Closing Loopholes No.2 Act 2024 includes civil provisions. Serious contraventions will cover recklessness as well as intentional acts, with the maximum fine increasing to $4,696,000, or three times the underpaid - whichever is higher. These reforms are prompting employers to think ahead about their compliance strategies, to avoid penalties resulting from missteps in wage compliance processes.
Why should my business prioritise compliance?
Australian businesses are under more pressure than ever to maintain and demonstrate workforce compliance. Non-compliance with workplace laws can result in payroll underpayments. This isn’t just bad for business; no matter the intent, underpaying workers can lead to decreased employee morale and lack of trust in the employer. Regular compliance reviews are essential for employers to ensure they’re meeting legal and ethical obligations and that issues do not compound over time.
Who are Yellow Canary’s clients?
Yellow Canary’s clients are some of Australia’s most recognisable employers with workforces from 500 to 100,000 across a range of industry sectors including banking, insurance, retail, hospitality, manufacturing and health services.
What makes Yellow Canary’s Always On Compliance solution different from other service or solution providers?
Yellow Canary’s Always On Compliance subscription offers a purpose-built calculator configured to your business needs. Using advanced technology, Yellow Canary creates a fast and scalable solution that simplifies the payroll verification process.