How a Small Gold Coast Cafe Created a Compliant Prevention Plan in Just One Day

The Company

A Family-Run Gold Coast Café Focused on Community

This popular beachside café is located in Burleigh Heads on Queensland's Gold Coast. Established in 2019, this family-owned business serves specialty coffee, breakfast, and lunch to locals and tourists alike. With a team of 8 employees—including 5 full-time staff and 3 casual workers—the café has built a reputation for its welcoming atmosphere and community focus.

Like many small hospitality businesses, the café operates with tight margins and limited administrative resources. The café's small management team, consisting of the husband-and-wife owners, handles everything from inventory and scheduling to HR and compliance matters alongside daily operations.

The Challenge

New Regulations with Limited Time and Resources

When the owners learned about Queensland's new Work Health and Safety (Sexual Harassment) Amendment Regulation requiring all businesses to have a written prevention plan by March 1, 2025, they were immediately concerned. "As small business owners, we wear many hats already," explains the co-owner. "The thought of creating a compliant prevention plan from scratch was overwhelming, especially since we have no legal or HR background."

Their initial research led them to free templates from WorkSafe Queensland, but these basic documents lacked the guidance and structure they needed to feel confident in their compliance. "The templates were a starting point, but we had no way to know if we were covering all the requirements properly," says the husband. "And the potential penalties of up to $9,679 for non-compliance were too significant for our business to risk."

The café owners also reached out to a local HR consultancy, but were quoted $5,000 for a customized prevention plan—a cost that would significantly impact their operating budget. With the compliance deadline approaching, they needed an affordable solution that would guide them through the process while fitting their small business context.

The Solution

Streamlined Compliance with the Basic Plan

After discovering QLD Compliance Plan online, the café owners signed up for the Basic Plan, which was designed specifically for small businesses like theirs. The affordable monthly subscription (A$49) gave them immediate access to a guided workflow for creating their prevention plan, built specifically around Queensland's requirements.

QLD Compliance Plan's intuitive dashboard with step-by-step prevention plan creation

"The platform walked us through each section step by step," the wife explains. "Instead of struggling with legal terminology, we answered straightforward questions about our workplace, and the system translated our responses into a properly formatted plan." The risk assessment tool helped identify specific factors relevant to their café setting, such as late operating hours, customer interactions, and their small team structure.

Within a single day, they had completed their prevention plan, including identifying relevant risks, documenting control measures, and establishing a complaint handling procedure tailored to their small team. The plan automatically included all components required by the regulation, and the platform's compliance tracking feature set up reminders for future reviews.

The Results

Compliance Confidence and Improved Workplace Culture

The café achieved full compliance with Queensland's sexual harassment prevention requirements at a fraction of the cost of consulting services. They saved approximately $4,500 compared to the consultant quote they received, while completing their prevention plan in just a single day rather than the estimated 9-10 hours it would have taken to piece together a solution using free templates.

Beyond compliance, the process helped the owners recognize opportunities to improve their workplace. "The risk assessment highlighted a few areas we hadn't considered before," says the husband. "For example, we now have clearer procedures for closing staff and better lighting in our back storage areas." Using the platform's training resources, they also conducted a brief session with all staff members to explain the new prevention plan and reporting procedures.

The café now has a formal documentation system that better protects both their business and their employees. "The compliance dashboard gives us peace of mind that we won't miss required reviews or updates," the wife adds. "As we continue to grow, we know the platform can scale with us, potentially upgrading to add consultation tools if we expand our team further."