• Compliance & enforcement

The Labour Hire Authority (LHA) has cancelled the labour hire licence of a Victorian construction company, having formed the view that the company and/or its director provided false or misleading information following requests for information from LHA.

LHA cancelled the licence of B K Labour Hire Pty Ltd (BK Labour) on 27 January 2026, after an investigation by LHA and high-profile arrests by Victoria Police’s Hawk Taskforce at the company’s headquarters.

LHA found that BK Labour and/or its director, Mr Bernard Kearney, provided four falsified invoices to LHA, which BK Labour falsely said it had received and paid.

LHA’s investigation found:

• one invoice was never issued by the entity, nor received by BK Labour
• three invoices had been amended to falsify the invoice amounts, as well as dates or other details.

BK Labour and Mr Kearney deny deliberate wrongdoing. However, LHA formed the view that BK Labour and/or Mr Kearney contravened section 87 of the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018 (Vic) by providing information to LHA that they knew to be false or misleading.

Providing false or misleading information to LHA or an inspector is a criminal offence under the Act, carrying maximum penalties per charge of more than:

• $30,000 for an individual
• $150,000 for a company.

LHA’s findings of contraventions support its decision to cancel BK Labour's licence, but are not findings of guilt to the criminal standard.

LHA will continue to support the Hawk Taskforce’s investigation and prosecution of two persons charged with offences under the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic).

The cancellation will take effect on 11 February 2026, from which time BK Labour will no longer lawfully be able to provide labour hire services in Victoria. 

Engagement with large construction operators

The cancellation of BK Labour’s licence is part of a continuing focus on the construction industry by LHA and other government agencies.

On 17 December 2025, LHA convened a briefing session with 32 leaders of ‘tier one’ construction companies operating in Victoria, and the leaders of seven regulators, law enforcement and infrastructure agencies.

The session focused on integrity leadership and expectations that labour hire hosts manage crime and corruption within their own businesses​ and the supply chains they manage​.

Mandatory reporting of criminal or unlawful conduct on public construction projects in Victoria

From 1 January 2026, public sector agencies, head contractors and subcontractors must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that workplaces connected with public construction projects in Victoria:

• are safe, respectful, inclusive and free from criminal and unlawful conduct
• comply with criminal and civil laws, including those related to occupational health and safety (OHS) and workplace relations
• proactively report – and where appropriate provide evidence of – criminal or unlawful conduct to Workforce Inspectorate Victoria.

The policy applies to public construction projects where either procurement and tendering activities have commenced and/or contracts have been executed on or after 1 January 2026. The policy also applies to existing projects that have commenced construction but not reached practical completion prior to the commencement date with a transition period for compliance up until 30 June 2026.

For more information, visit the Victorian Government website.