
Melanie Blain
Managing Director
FTI Consulting
Melanie Blain specialises in interpreting complex financial and non-financial information providing answers for clients, particularly C-Suite and Boards of Directors. With nearly 20 years of experience in auditing, forensic accounting and fraud investigation, clients value her sensible approach and solutions.Melanie is a Chartered Accountant and has led a wide range of fraud risk and investigation matters. Her experience includes financial statement audits, contract compliance, claims verification and dispute resolution, forensic auditing/accounting, due diligence, risk management, risk assessments, internal audit, fraud and corruption control/investigation. Melanie specialises in the investigation of fraud, corruption and misconduct matters, procurement fraud and associated conflict of interests, employee misconduct including allegations of breach of company policies, and payroll and timesheet fraud. She regularly advises and guides clients on how to manage and mitigate internal and external fraud and corruption risks.Melanie has worked in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, including working in both ‘Big Four’ and boutique firms. Her breadth of industry sector experience includes government (state and local), agriculture, not-for-profit and extractive industries (including oil, gas, mining and construction of the supporting infrastructure).
SESSIONS
1:20
Wage Theft & Pay Compliance: Protecting your organisation from wage claims and risk
Wage compliance remains under intense regulatory and public scrutiny. Recent high-profile underpayment matters involving organisations such as Woolworths, Coles and UTS demonstrate the significant financial, legal and reputational consequences that can arise from systemic payroll errors.
In this session, Kingston Reid and FTI Consulting will examine recent Federal Court decisions and enforcement actions to unpack how wage compliance failures occur, how regulators assess employer conduct, and what organisations should be doing now to reduce exposure.
Participants will:
Analyse key lessons from recent Federal Court and Fair Work decisions.
Identify common payroll pitfalls that can trigger wage theft claims.
Explore practical auditing, monitoring, and governance strategies to ensure compliance.
Develop proactive frameworks that protect both the organisation and its workforce.
Format: Expert insights drawing on recent case law and industry experience, with practical guidance and simple supporting resources.
Melanie Blain, Managing Director, FTI Consulting
James Parkinson, Partner, Kingston Reid
.png)