Latest News

Looking after your workers over the festive season / Our Annual Report has been published.

In this edition: The highest ever penalty for contraventions of labour hire law / Upcoming compliance and engagement / Updates on commercial cleaning, agriculture and horticulture

A Victorian company and its director have been fined the highest combined penalty in Australian history for contraventions of labour hire law, following a successful LHA prosecution.

Recent and upcoming industry engagement and compliance focuses

Be aware of LHA’s compliance focus in the commercial cleaning industry.

Agriculture Victoria have launched a $20 million program to strengthen the state’s agriculture and horticulture industries.

As a host, are you aware of the changes to your OHS duties?

LHA assisted a security industry provider to improve compliance with their legal obligations.

A Victorian company and its director have been fined a total of $483,428.40 – the highest combined penalty in Australian history for contraventions of labour hire law – following a successful prosecution by the Labour Hire Authority (LHA).

Read more about our focus on multi-tier contracting arrangements to improve industry integrity.

Our work in the security industry has highlighted the need for vigilance about compliance throughout labour supply chains.

A recent High Court decision affects the status of workers described as independent contractors, with important implications for labour hire providers

Read about how LHA handles complaints and reports of non-compliance.

Anyone who is appointed as a Director of a corporation under the Corporations Act 2001 should ensure they obtain a director ID by 30 November.

There are serious consequences for providers who don’t comply with their obligations, as shown in recent cases in the horticulture and meat processing industries.

Applying to renew your labour hire licence in advance makes things much quicker and easier for you and your business.

Read more about our upcoming free webinar and recent changes to the hospitality, tourism and aviation awards.

The minimum adult wages for a number of awards will change from the first full pay period on or after 1 October. Providers under the restaurant and hospitality awards should also know about recent changes to annualised wage arrangements.

LHA is hosting a free webinar for providers about recent changes to their legal obligations.

There are several different types of industrial instruments that may determine the wages and conditions of labour hire workers and it is important to know which instrument applies in your business.

Get the details on how you can commit to keeping labour hire workers safe in October as part of National Health and Safety Month.

Providers have a range of wage-related obligations under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018, but what are the rules when it comes to inductions and training?

With the coverage of data security issues in the media in recent days, we wanted to highlight the importance of good data hygiene for labour hire providers.

2021-22 was another busy year for the LHA. As we look forward to our first round of licence renewals, we will be focussing on compliance with the labour hire licensing scheme requirements.

The LHA has observed the use of individual flexibility arrangements (IFAs) in an unlawful manner to avoid paying penalty rates.

Licence fees are mandatory for every labour hire business but can be reduced, waived or refunded in certain circumstances.

See how the Labour Hire Authority improves compliance and education by working closely with the labour hire industry.

Many labour hire providers will need to renew their licences from later this year. Here is some important information you need to know in preparation for this process.

Read more about how the LHA works with industry, and what you need to know about renewing your labour hire licence.

Read more about recent investigations into labour hire worker accommodation and what happens if it is found to be sub-standard.

The LHA has imposed licence conditions on labour hire provider MADEC Australia to review and improve the standard of accommodation it procures for labour hire workers. 

The LHA conducted compliance visits to nine farms and nine worker accommodation premises last month and discovered a number of concerning issues.

Find out how the LHA is working with industry to create new industry guidance resources and promote compliance.

The LHA has launched a new function in the LHLO portal enabling licensed providers to update their nominated officer’s details online.

Labour hire businesses are encouraged to ensure they are aware of any obligations they may have under Victoria’s Portable Long Service Leave Scheme.

Read more about how we approach pyramid contracting arrangements to protect labour hire workers from exploitation.

Labour hire providers subcontracting to another provider must consider whether the arrangements allow the subcontractor to meet their legal obligations.

Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner Steve Dargavel recently presented an update to group training organisations about the labour hire licensing scheme at the Apprenticeship Employment Network mid-year conference in Geelong.

Labour hire providers must not use sham contracting to avoid giving employees their correct entitlements.

Under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018, it is a condition for every licensed labour hire provider to report to the LHA on their labour hire activities for the previous 12 months.

The Fair Work Commission has increased the National Minimum Wage and award wages, taking effect from the first full pay period starting 1 July 2022.

Read more about our recent compliance activities, the new engineered stone licence and important changes to super.

Businesses providing labour hire services without a current licence can face serious consequences, so it’s important to know your obligations.

It is essential that licensed labour hire providers keep their details up to date with the LHA to ensure they can continue to hold a licence.

The Labour Hire Authority (LHA) will be conducting compliance inspections at farms and worker accommodation in Mildura and surrounding areas this citrus season. Here is an overview of what businesses can expect from compliance inspections.

It is important that all labour hire providers and hosts are across upcoming changes to the superannuation guarantee rate from 1 July 2022.

The Labour Hire Authority (LHA) has been running a compliance campaign designed to target sham contracting in the labour hire industry.

Everyone wants to make sure they’re hiring the best possible candidates for the job, but did you know there are certain things employers cannot legally ask prospective employees? Here are nine things you can’t ask when hiring.

Issues identified during recent visits to Murray Region farms demonstrated how important it is for hosts to understand who is working at their farms and under what conditions and, as a result, avoid contravention of labour hire laws.

Providers who no longer wish to provide labour hire services can cancel their licence through their nominated officer’s LHLO account.

While objections to a labour hire provider’s application do not guarantee that a provider’s application will be refused, it is important that all parties understand the process and their rights.

We all know labour hire providers have to meet certain requirements, but what about hosts? If you are confused about hosting labour hire workers in your business, here’s a quick FAQ to help you.

The LHA will be following up information identified during recent visits to farms in Shepparton indicating non-compliance with providers’ legal obligations relating to minimum accommodation standards, migration laws and worker entitlements.

Following the refusal of one licence application and the cancellation of another licence, the LHA is urging all security industry providers to review their contract rates to ensure they can sustainably meet their legal obligations.

The LHA is pleased to report our progress with improving the integrity in the labour hire industry.

The past couple of months have been quite busy for our Compliance team, with several site visits having been completed across multiple industries.

Recent changes to the Horticulture Award 2020 are set to take effect on 28 April. These changes include a new minimum wage requirement for workers who are currently paid a piecework rate.

Labour hire workers have been granted additional rights and protections under recent changes to the Occupational Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2021. These changes came into effect on Tuesday, 22 March 2022.

After significant consultation with workers, industry and community, the Victorian Government has launched an initiative to pilot sick pay for casual and contract workers in certain occupations in Victoria over the next two years.

A recent matter in the security industry has reinforced the need for providers to ensure they are paying their workers according to the correct industrial instrument, such as the correct award or enterprise agreements.

Here is a quick rundown of what providers need to know if they organise or provide accommodation or transport in connection with their labour hire service, and the type of information the LHA will seek.

Queries about updating a provider’s nominated officer are fairly common in the Licensing team. Here’s a quick rundown of the process

Seven government regulators with shared responsibility for a range of apprentice and trainee conditions in Victoria have agreed to unprecedented levels of collaboration.

We are fast approaching the third anniversary of the LHA’s establishment. Despite the many challenges posed by the global pandemic, I am proud of the work our team has achieved in this time.

Sham contracting is an arrangement where an employer attempts to disguise an employment relationship as an independent contracting arrangement. It is consistently identified as one of the most commonly used illegal practices in the labour hire and other industries.

The LHA and our regulatory partners have recommenced information sessions and site visits, starting with horticulture businesses in the Yarra Valley region. Here’s what you need to know about site inspections and upcoming information sessions.

The end of year holiday period was quite busy for the LHA. We received quite a few enquiries concerning whether commercial cleaners are required to hold a labour hire licence.

Nominated officers can now submit a request to add or remove a relevant person to a licenced provider directly from their LHLO portal.

Australia’s horticulture sector has been in the news in recent months and is an ongoing compliance focus for the LHA. We use a range of sources to receive intelligence on worker mistreatment and exploitation, work with other regulators, and take strong compliance actions where serious non-compliance is found.

The LHA cancelled 14 labour hire licences over two days this week for failure to comply with licence conditions. Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner Steve Dargavel says other providers can easily avoid this fate and contribute to a level playing field.

The Labour Hire Authority (LHA) has cancelled the labour hire licence of a horticulture provider after a known drug trafficker - who was previously refused a labour hire licence in Victoria - became a director of the company.

Yarra Valley growers are being given the opportunity to refresh their knowledge on workplace health and safety as their harvest season moves into full swing.