The Fair Work Ombudsman has been inspecting fast food outlets, restaurants and cafes in the Sunshine Coast’s Noosa Heads, Noosaville and Tewantin this week to check for underpayments.
Fair Work Inspectors are visiting 34 businesses to interview managers and employees on-site in the popular food precincts. They are focusing on checking records and pay slips, as well as any use of unpaid work, among other possible breaches.
FWO Anna Booth says this round of inspections aims to assess whether Sunshine Coast employers in this sector have improved their compliance since 2023. Inspections back then resulted in more than $220,000 recovered for 447 underpaid workers.
“Inspectors are on the ground on the Sunshine Coast this week, revisiting several businesses that had previously been found non-compliant, while also checking businesses for which we have new intelligence,” says Ms Booth.
“Inspectors are back to hold employers to account if they are not following workplace laws, including due to any unpaid work.”
Businesses were selected for inspection based on prior non-compliance history, anonymous reports and/or employment of workers that are vulnerable to exploitation, such as visa holders. Most of the eateries are ‘cheap eats’ venues.
Migrant workers
In addition, the regulator is teaming up with the Department of Home Affairs to inspect a number of sites, with Australian Border Force (ABF) officers from the Sponsor Monitoring Unit (SMU) providing employers with information about migrant worker protections under the Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Act, which came into effect in July last year to combat the exploitation of temporary migrant workers.
As part of the joint operation, ABF SMU officers are visiting regional hospitality businesses to raise awareness of employer sponsorship obligations and the protections available to temporary migrant workers under the Migration Amendment Act.
The operation is focused on detecting, deterring and disrupting breaches of sponsorship obligations and the exploitation of sponsored workers, while also educating workers and employers as part of a broader SMU-led national initiative.
“Employers who fail to meet their sponsorship obligations or seek to exploit vulnerable workers can expect to face heavy penalties,” says ABF SMU Superintendent Jason Boyd.
“These operations are a key part of our efforts to uphold the integrity of Australia’s skilled visa programs.”
