Compliance with licence conditions essential

The Labour Hire Authority (LHA) cancelled 14 labour hire licences this week for failure to comply with licence conditions.

They span a range of industries including construction, transport, information technology, hospitality and engineering. These businesses can longer provide labour hire services in Victoria.

Licensed labour hire providers are required to comply with all conditions for holding a labour hire licence. These include:

• paying relevant application and annual fees by the due date
• providing annual reporting on labour hire activities undertaken
• complying with relevant laws, including:
  • taxation and superannuation laws
  • occupational health and safety laws
  • workplace and worker’s compensation saws
  • labour hire industry laws
  • migration laws, and
  • applicable minimum accommodation standards
• complying with transport and accommodation requirements
• notifying the LHA of any changes to nominated officers and relevant persons, and
• ensuring all relevant persons are ‘fit and proper person(s)’.

Penalties for non-compliance may include a provider having special conditions impose on their licence, having their licence cancelled and/or being subject to financial penalties.

Hosts who use unlicensed labour hire providers also face financial penalties.

“Fourteen businesses lost their ability to provide labour hire services in Victoria over the span of just two days,” says Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner Steve Dargavel.

“This fate is easily avoided by complying with their licence conditions to hold a licence.”

Mr Dargavel says the LHA is committed to continuing its work to level the playing field and ensure the integrity of the labour hire industry.

“By enforcing compliance with licence conditions, the LHA is ensuring that honest businesses are not put at a competitive disadvantage. We are also improving the reputation of the labour hire industry as an employment option.”

“The labour hire licensing scheme exists to hold labour hire providers to a higher standard where workers are protected against exploitation as they work to provide for themselves and their families.”

Visit the LHA website to find out more about provider obligations.