The Subbies' Toolbox Podcast
By Michelle Cirson
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Category: Management
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Episodes: 72
Description
The Subbies Toolbox Podcast is for Australian commercial subcontractors who want to understand the real rules of construction and stop being worn down by outdated systems and one-sided contracts.
Hosted by Michelle Cirson, a construction lawyer, adjudicator and former builder contracts administrator, this podcast calls out industry norms that no longer make sense and explains how subcontractors can navigate them with clarity and confidence. Michelle explores topics like contract risk, power imbalances, commercial leverage and smarter ways to work within the system while pushing for better outcomes across the industry.
Season 2 marks the evolution of the podcast from Tricks of Your Trade into The Subbies Toolbox, with a sharper focus on education, systems, and advocacy that help subcontractors stay out of disputes and in control of their businesses.
New episodes are released weekly.
www.subbiestoolbox.com.au
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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Episode 7 - How to Get Your Departure Schedule Approved Faster (Recast)
|
May 27, 2026 |
|
Episode 6 - Material Price Increases v Fixed Price Contracts
|
May 20, 2026 |
|
Episode 4 - The Shift Towards AI in Contract Review
|
Apr 15, 2026 |
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Episode 5 - The Hidden Impact of Fair Contract Laws on Subcontractors
|
Apr 14, 2026 |
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Episode 3 - The Power of ITPs in Subcontracting
|
Apr 01, 2026 |
|
Episode 2 - Mastering Risk Management for Subcontractors
|
Mar 24, 2026 |
|
Episode 1 - The contracting hierarchy in construction is designed to keep Subcontractors under control – not build better buildings.
|
Jan 28, 2026 |
|
Episode 65 - Final Episode: Why Tricks of Your Trade Is Ending (and What Comes Next)
|
Jan 12, 2026 |
|
Episode 63 - 6 Clauses that impact TIME under your subcontract
|
Dec 22, 2024 |
|
Episode 64 - Trickery During the Christmas Shutdown Period
|
Dec 12, 2024 |
|
Episode 62 - Building company staff deserve fairer contract terms too
|
Nov 28, 2024 |
|
Episode 61 - 5 variation clauses to check during your contract review
|
Nov 21, 2024 |
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Episode 60 - 5 Key things you should always check in your contracts
|
Nov 14, 2024 |
|
Episode 59 - Dumb things builders say during contract negotiations
|
Nov 07, 2024 |
|
Episode 58 - 3 Ways to make your Departure Schedule Shorter
|
Oct 31, 2024 |
|
Episode 57 - The Mathematical Likelihood Things Will Go South
|
Oct 25, 2024 |
|
Episode 56 - Neapolitan Ice Cream Theory
|
Oct 17, 2024 |
|
Episode 55 - "Better to have a gun and not need it..."
|
Oct 10, 2024 |
|
Episode 54 - the mathematical likelihood things go south
|
Sep 29, 2024 |
|
Episode 53 - Advantages of an in house contract review
|
Nov 14, 2023 |
|
Episode 52 - Good and bad things builders did before going broke
|
Oct 31, 2023 |
|
Episode 51 - Margin give back on negative variations
|
Oct 17, 2023 |
|
Episode 50 Pros and cons of bank guarantees
|
Oct 03, 2023 |
|
Episode 49 - How to change your builder's contract without starting a war
|
Sep 05, 2023 |
|
Episode 48 - Using Logic-Based Assurances in Negotiation
|
Aug 22, 2023 |
|
Episode 47 - What your average Contract Sum tells you about your risk profile
|
Jun 06, 2023 |
|
Episode 46 - Watch out for the cross contracts deductions clause in your builder's contract
|
May 23, 2023 |
|
Episode 45 - Why insolvent builders won’t fall on their sword
|
May 09, 2023 |
|
Episode 44 - 10 signs your builder might be going broke
|
Apr 25, 2023 |
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Episode 43 - How to rank contract departures based on importance
|
Apr 11, 2023 |
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Episode 42 - Negotiating With The Principal When Your Builder Goes Broke
|
Apr 05, 2023 |
|
Episode 41 - Dirty Deeds In Builders' Contracts
|
Mar 14, 2023 |
|
Episode 40 - Union Management for Subcontractors with Tim Dive
|
Feb 27, 2023 |
|
Episode 39 - Sharing construction secrets with Cian Brennan
|
Feb 10, 2023 |
|
Episode 38 - ABN Workers and Fair Work
|
Feb 05, 2023 |
|
Episode 37 - Chain of Responsibility for NCC Compliance
|
Jan 04, 2023 |
|
Episode 36 - Fighting builders for the principle of it
|
Oct 23, 2022 |
|
Episode 35 - Is my trade credit insurance policy pointless?
|
Sep 02, 2022 |
|
Episode 34 - 3 ways to write price increases into your contract
|
Aug 23, 2022 |
|
Episode 33 - Industry Intelligence Update - the winds of change are upon us again
|
Jul 30, 2022 |
|
Episode 32 - The Builder's Payment Schedule and reading between the lines
|
Jun 29, 2022 |
|
Episode 31 - Two Hats and Construction Contracts - Interview with Kieran Scott
|
Oct 29, 2021 |
|
Episode 30 - What I was thinking when I was too busy to get paid
|
Oct 19, 2021 |
|
Episode 29 - Your Relationships with your Builder might be real - but only like this
|
Oct 13, 2021 |
|
Episode 28 - No margin on variations and no way out of your contract
|
Oct 02, 2021 |
|
Episode 27 - How to read contracts like you read drawings
|
Sep 27, 2021 |
|
Episode 26 - Is your Construction Contract COVID proof?
|
Sep 17, 2021 |
|
Episode 25 - How are your business relationships impacting your family
|
Sep 05, 2021 |
|
Episode 24 - How to get paid for delay costs under a construction subcontract
|
Aug 22, 2021 |
|
Episode 23 - What to expect in Adjudication - Rolling the dice to get paid
|
Aug 09, 2021 |
|
Episode 22 - Why the Builder's carrot is always a raw deal
|
Jul 08, 2021 |
|
Episode 21 - Innocent reasons your Builder asks you to start work on site without a written contract
|
Jul 02, 2021 |
|
Episode 20 - Retention Wars - contract hacks that get retention released
|
Jun 24, 2021 |
|
Episode 19 - How you can DIY your contract reviews
|
Jun 17, 2021 |
|
Episode 18 - Is your relationship with your builder a two-way street?
|
Jun 10, 2021 |
|
Episode 17 - How you can get trapped in your Builder's contract with no way to end the deal
|
Jun 08, 2021 |
|
Episode 16 - Why you need a Safety System Brag Book
|
May 30, 2021 |
|
Episode 15 - More Time = Less Money
|
May 21, 2021 |
|
Episode 14 - Risk vs Reward when signing big scary contracts
|
May 15, 2021 |
|
Episode 13 - Why you can't expect your Builder to pay you on time, EVERY time, in full.
|
May 08, 2021 |
|
Episode 12 - Do these three FREE things right now to reduce the risk of doing business with your builder
|
Feb 26, 2021 |
|
Episode 11: how to GROW your profit margin and not crap ya dacks
|
Feb 19, 2021 |
|
Episode 10 - Preference Payments and PPSR with Peter Mills
|
Feb 12, 2021 |
|
Episode 9 - Why Aussie Subbies need to be the voice of the construction industry
|
Feb 04, 2021 |
|
Episode 8 - Pistols at dawn and then my trade business went broke. How an Aussie Subbie lost his business while doing everything right!
|
Jan 28, 2021 |
|
Episode 7 - the fastest way to recover money if your Builder goes broke
|
Jan 21, 2021 |
|
Episode 6 - Why you need to know how to count a business day to get paid
|
Jan 18, 2021 |
|
Episode 5 - 5 more BS reasons your Builder isn't paying you
|
Jan 14, 2021 |
|
Episode 4 - How to tell if your builder might be going broke
|
Jan 12, 2021 |
|
Episode 3 - 5 BS reasons you are not being paid
|
Jan 08, 2021 |
|
Episode 2 - the four pain points pushing Aussie Subbies to the brink...
|
Jan 04, 2021 |
|
Episode 1 - What this podcast is all about
|
Jan 01, 2021 |