• Welcome articles

Welcome to the April edition of LHA News.

Labour hire hosts play a critical role in supporting industry integrity and a level playing field – by only using licensed providers, and by putting simple measures in place to guard against unlawful conduct.

For this reason, LHA has increased its focus on hosts in recent years – in engagement, compliance and enforcement. Based on feedback from licensed providers, this focus is having a real impact.

In March, LHA filed legal action against a Yarra Valley orchard. We allege this host engaged workers through an allegedly unlicensed provider we are also prosecuting, along with its director personally.

Having just commenced this action, I held a forum in March alongside Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth in the Yarra Valley, where we met with about 40 growers, providers and industry groups. It was a worthwhile event – a chance to highlight findings from our recent investigations, and to discuss issues and hear suggestions from industry to improve compliance in the region.

You can read more about this case, and the industry forum, in this month’s edition.

Also this month, LHA has filed nine criminal charges against the director of a labour hire company, alleging she knowingly provided false or misleading information to LHA. The charges carry a maximum total penalty of more than $250,000.

I hope you enjoy this edition.

Steve Dargavel
Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner

In this edition

• Yarra valley orchard, allegedly unlicensed provider and director face legal action 
• Nine criminal charges filed against director of labour hire company for providing false information to LHA
• LHA investigating two construction businesses linked to man charged with blackmail, for allegedly advertising and operating unlicensed 
• Do the right thing – report non-compliance or unlawful behaviour in the labour hire industry
• Educating businesses to establish a firm footing with upcoming webinar for new providers 
• Providers subject to licensing action in February 2026

Licensing update

March 2026:

• 112 licence applications submitted
• 176 licence renewals granted
• 84 licences granted
• 88 licences refused, or cancelled (by LHA or provider)

Resources

• The Digital Jobs program provides Victorian businesses in the construction and advanced manufacturing sectors with access to free training to upskill leaders and workers with digital skills that are critical for innovation and technology adoption. To find out more, visit the Business Victoria website or register for the upcoming Business Information Session.