OPINION
Labour hire licensing schemes: What you need to know
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usiness is ever changing, growing and developing. It is not only affected, but also impacted, by industry trends, technological and social developments, government legislation, and as we have most recently seen environmental, health and hygiene concerns. Both state and national legislations and requirements have been progressing forward and have had a direct impact on the industry, from ABN changes to amendments to the Fair Work Act and implementation of the Modern Slavery Act. Not to mention the lending implications that have stemmed from the Banking Royal Commission and what will follow for third parties due to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. 48 INCLEAN March / April 2020
A big area of change and development over the past three years has been state-based labour hire licensing regimes which have occurred within the states of Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. However, in relation to South Australia, the state government has announced its intention to amend the existing labour hire laws, following concerns about the scope and application of the licensing scheme in its current form. The government is seeking to narrow the scope of the scheme to apply to labour hire providers operating within industries where workers are at a greater risk of exploitation due to the low-skilled, labour-intensive nature of the work that they are engaged to undertake. Cleaning has been highlighted as one of the proposed industries.