Welcome to the September 2024 edition of LHA News
5 September 2024
As we publish this edition, LHA has commenced legal action alleging a company and its director advertised labour hire services in the horticulture and meat processing industries without a licence.
We cover the prosecution this month, which is the latest in a series of LHA legal action targeting unlicensed operations, including two successful prosecutions in December last year.
In a further recent operation, LHA officers have uncovered a range of alleged non-compliance on farms in north-west Victoria – see this month’s second story for details.
We also look at new federal legislation to protect migrant workers from ongoing harm, and a new Workplace Justice visa that allows migrant workers to stay in Australia while fighting workplace legal claims.
These developments and actions provide a reminder that labour hire workers must be treated fairly, regardless of which industry they work in, what job they do, or where they were born.
We hope you enjoy this edition.
Steve Dargavel
Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner
In this edition
- Legal action taken against business and director for allegedly advertising labour hire services without a licence
- Alleged non-compliance identified in LHA inspections of farms in north-west Victoria
- New visa type and laws introduced to tackle temporary migrant worker exploitation
- Important reminders for providers and licence applicants when using the LHLO Portal
- Care Expo and upcoming regional information sessions
- Details of all providers subject to licensing action in July 2024
Licensing update
August 2024:
- 94 licence applications submitted
- 48 licence renewals granted
- 93 licences granted
- 49 licences refused or cancelled
Resources
Some changes from the Closing the Loopholes No. 2 Act came into effect on 26 August – including:
- a new framework for protecting some gig workers
- a change to the definition of casual employment
- a right to disconnect from work after hours
- a new test to determine whether a relationship is employment
- giving the Fair Work Commission power to deal with independent contractor unfair contracts disputes.
View the full list of changes on the Fair Work Commission website.