• LHA events

With further information sessions in regional Victoria planned for later in the year, July has seen a focus on targeted engagement for the Labour Hire Authority (LHA).

PALM scheme approved employers

A tailored webinar was held for approved employers in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme on 20 July, with over 40 PALM employers in attendance.

The session was presented jointly by LHA and Queensland’s Labour Hire Licensing Compliance Unit (LHLCU), providing the opportunity to cover PALM employers operating in both jurisdictions.

With the prevalence of PALM scheme workers in horticulture, the webinar focused on this industry and covered:

• LHA and LHLCU’s recent compliance and enforcement activities
• common issues both regulators encountered around the PALM scheme
• provider and host obligations under both labour hire licensing schemes.

Feedback from the 40 attendees was very positive, with constructive engagement and queries around the operation of the licensing schemes.

“PALM scheme workers can be especially vulnerable to exploitation, so it was encouraging to see the strong turnout and level of engagement from PALM employers at this session,” said Steve Dargavel, Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner.

“This session highlighted the similar objectives and degree of collaboration between our states, given our common purpose to protect workers and improve the labour hire industry,” said Eimear Moran, LHLCU Director.

Commercial cleaning providers

Commissioner Steve Dargavel met with over 60 Jim’s Cleaning franchisees on 19 July. With the commercial cleaning sector being a key focus for LHA, this event helped business owners understand licensing requirements and learn about issues in the industry.

This session saw strong engagement and positive feedback, with a further session planned for regional franchisees via webinar in the coming weeks.

“These targeted sessions provide an opportunity for business owners who may have similar queries and issues to have them covered together,” said the Commissioner.

“It’s good to see this level of interest from businesses in ensuring they’re understanding and meeting their obligations as labour hire providers.”

Our program of free information sessions will continue in the second half of 2023 – keep an eye on future editions of LHA News, and the Events page on the LHA website for details.