• Welcome articles

Welcome to the September edition of LHA News.

The Dandenong Magistrates’ Court has ordered a director to pay $19,009 in penalties and costs after he pleaded guilty to providing false or misleading information to LHA in his licence application.

The director also allegedly offered a bribe to an LHA officer while the application was being assessed.

This kind of brazen behaviour shows there’s further work to be done to improve industry integrity, but each enforcement outcome is another sign to bad-faith operators of the futility of criminal behaviour.

The case is the latest example of our strong licensing and enforcement action to ensure labour hire companies are operated by fit and proper people, in a way that supports a fairer, more transparent industry.

At the same time, LHA is increasing its focus on labour hire hosts – both through industry engagement and education, and increasingly in our compliance and enforcement activities.

We have done significant work to raise hosts’ awareness of their obligation to only use licensed providers – engaging with industry bodies, attending expos, running campaigns, and communicating directly with businesses across a range of sectors.

In our 2025-26 compliance program, along with a continued focus on providers and key industries, hosts in a range of industries and regions should expect to see and hear more from LHA.

Preventing hosts from engaging unlicensed providers is an important way we’re making the industry fairer for workers, as well as for legitimate labour hire businesses.

You can read more about the legal case, and our work targeting hosts, in this edition

Steve Dargavel
Labour Hire Licensing Commissioner

In this Edition

• A fake invoice, lies and an alleged bribe offer – dishonest director ordered to pay $19,009
• Targeting hosts in 2025-26 with compliance and communication activities
• Updating details or paying fees? There’s guidance available for navigating the LHLO portal
• Regional information sessions and exhibiting at construction expo
• Details of all providers subject to licensing action in July 2025

Licensing update

August 2025:

• 80 Licence applications submitted 
• 74 Licence renewals granted 
• 57 Licences granted 
• 11 Licences refused or cancelled 

Resources

• Right to disconnect changes for employees of small businesses came into effect on 26 August 2025. Employees have the right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact (or attempted contact) outside their working hours, unless doing so is unreasonable. For more information, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
• October is Health and Safety Month. For online and in-person events, visit the WorkSafe website.