Australia: Growcom supports crackdown on labour hire licensing

Growcom has applauded the Queensland Government’s decision to strip a labour hire provider of its licence after it was found to breach the state’s recently enforced labour hire licensing laws.

RJP Contracting Services Pty Ltd, operating in the Lockyer Valley region, was found to be providing false information on their application regarding their employment of migrant workers and had also breached the Fair Work Act 2009.

Their licence was cancelled as a result of a combined investigation led by Labour Hire Licensing Compliance Unit in consultation with the Fair Work Ombudsman, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Australian Border Force.

They are no longer allowed to provide labour hire services in Queensland, but they do have 28 days to request a review of the decision. This means growers who continue to use this company during this time could be fined.

Growcom welcomes the crackdown on non-complaint labour hire companies as a positive step towards improving the treatment of international workers and weeding out shonky employers.

The Office of Industrial Relations has assured concerned farmers that RJP Contracting Services have had their licence suspended for some time which was made clear on the labour hire provider register. Labour hire users looking to engage the business will now find they are no longer licensed.

According to the Office of Industrial Relations, the Labour Hire Licensing Compliance Unit is currently looking into the legalities of whether they can release the ABN of the company.

In the meantime, Growcom encourages its growers who use a labour hire company to check they are licensed via the Queensland Government’s labour hire website: https://www.labourhire.qld.gov.au/

There are individual fines of up to $134,988 for those who use an unlicensed labour hire provider.

As of 25 July 2018, a total of 2,889 labour hire provider licence applications have been received by the Queensland Government, with 1,912 already fully vetted and approved.

For more information:
Growcom
Primary Producers House
Level 3, 183 North Quay
Brisbane Qld 4000
PO Box 202
Fortitude Valley Qld 4006
p: 07 3620 3844
f: 07 3620 3880
growcom@growcom.com.au
www.growcom.com.au