Welcome to the March 2023 edition of LHA News
3 March 2023
Welcome to the March 2023 edition of Labour Hire Authority News.
Firstly, a word of appreciation to the many hundreds of you who’ve recently submitted a labour hire licence renewal application. Our recent data shows that most providers are now applying to renew at least five months prior to expiry – quite a bit earlier than in the past.
It’s great to see this response to the reminders we’ve had in LHA News, and those going directly to relevant licensees, over the past few months.
We’ve seen quite a number of updates to nominated officers and relevant persons coming in with these renewals. Renewal time is a prompt to update these details, but remember to keep these current at all times as well – there can be significant penalties if you don’t advise us of any changes within 30 days.
Wednesday 8 March is International Women’s Day. We’d like to recognise the significant contribution from women to Victoria’s labour hire industry, and in protecting workers from exploitation, with women comprising 54% of the LHA workforce.
In this edition
LHA officers recently completed a field operation over two days at the 2023 Australian Open, with a focus on security staff. Our officers interviewed dozens of workers to ensure they were being employed fairly and providers were meeting their obligations.
The operation was a success. All workers we spoke to were found to be working for a licensed provider and there were generally high levels of compliance from providers at the event.
Direct engagement with workers is an important part of how LHA does its work. It’s important for providers to work with us proactively to ensure you’re meeting your obligations under the labour hire licensing scheme.
LHA works closely with a range of local and national agencies and regulators to monitor, investigate and enforce compliance. We’ve recently been working with Queensland’s Labour Hire Licensing Compliance Unit to share data and intelligence around non-compliance in both states. This collaboration has already resulted in compliance action based on several breaches by labour hire providers in both states.
Steve Dargavel
Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner
In this issue
- LHA in the field – security at the Australian Open
- Victoria and Queensland team up to tackle non-compliance
- Employ apprentices and trainees? Understand your obligations
- Info sessions underway – LHA’s 2023 engagement program kicks off across Vic
- Support for flood-affected businesses from Business Victoria
Licensing update
In February 2023:
- 99 licence applications were submitted
- 70 licences were granted
- 144 licence renewals were granted
- 47 licences were refused or cancelled
Resources
- Two short modules are available through the Wage Inspectorate to help you understand Victoria’s wage theft and long service leave laws – available at Wage Inspectorate Victoria.
- International Women’s Day is on 8 March. There are events being held in Melbourne and online, as well as resources available for your workplace.