The regulator can also reveal that more than $70,000 in wages has been back-paid so far to underpaid workers after inspections this year of labour hire providers and growers in two other of Australia’s top five least-compliant horticulture hotspots: the Riverina in NSW, and Victoria’s Sunraysia region.
The FWO has also handed out nearly $77,000 in fines to employers for payslip and record-keeping breaches following investigations in the Riverina and Sunraysia regions.
In Coffs Harbour, the FWO inspected about 10 businesses following other inspections of horticulture businesses in August.
Across the three regions combined, about 30 investigations are continuing.
The inspections in the Sunraysia, Riverina and Coffs Harbour regions are part of a fresh targeting of horticulture employers in the least-compliant regions.
The latest round of inspections arises from the findings of the FWO’s Horticulture Strategy 2021-24, which involved investigations of more than 500 growers and labour hire providers in 15 regional hotspots around the country.
Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said the regulator was continuing to hold horticulture employers to account with the latest inspections in the Coffs Harbour regional hotspot.
“Our inspectors have made surprise inspections this year in Coffs Harbour, the Riverina and the Sunraysia region, which have in recent years been among the least-compliant horticulture regions nationally, checking that workers — often vulnerable visa holders — are getting paid correctly, and that employers are also complying with record-keeping and payslip laws,” she said.
“It is also concerning that some growers feel they can outsource compliance to non-compliant labour hire providers.
“We expect employers to know and meet their workplace obligations. They are encouraged to use our extensive range of free horticulture sector educational resources.”
Across Sunraysia and the Riverina, the most common breaches, leading to the issuing of compliance notices, related to alleged failure to pay the correct casual minimum wage and overtime rates, and failure to issue employees with a Fair Work Information Statement/Casual Employment Information Statement.
Surprise inspections in the Riverina region in June have resulted in the FWO conducting 11 investigations of growers and 13 relating to labour hire providers.
The FWO has so far issued five compliance notices to as many Riverina growers, and one compliance notice to a labour hire provider, resulting in combined back payments of $5710 to four employees.
The FWO issued a fine of $3300 to one grower.
