Queensland’s pioneering mandatory labour hire licensing laws are now in effect with the Labour Hire Licensing Scheme kicking off from 16 April.

State Member for Morayfield, Mark Ryan, said labour hire workers in our region would now have increased protection in a regulated industry where employers will be held to account for doing the wrong thing.

“Labour hire has been an unregulated industry for far too long,” he said.

“Unfortunately, this has meant some rogue operators have been able to take advantage of employees.

“But our Queensland Government is leading the way in the fight to ensure workers are not subject to exploitation and mistreatment.

“In the past there have been cases of workers being unpaid, underpaid, sexually harassed, forced to work ridiculously long hours or exposed to serious safety risks.

“In the absence of any action from Malcolm Turnbull and his mates in Canberra, the Palaszczuk Government has drawn a line in the sand and set up a system which will ensure all stakeholders do the right thing.

“Labour hire providers are now required to be licensed in Queensland, and businesses who need to hire labour must only use licensed providers.”

Mark Ryan said the scheme sets minimum standards for labour hire providers and was established following extensive consultation with stakeholders.

“To obtain a licence, a labour hire provider must demonstrate they are fit and proper to provide these services, can comply with relevant state and Commonwealth laws and their business is financially viable.

“Existing labour hire providers have until 15 June, 2018 to apply for a licence and can continue to operate while their application is being processed.

“All labour hire providers operating in Queensland need to be licensed under the scheme – including those based interstate or overseas who supply workers in Queensland.”

A newly formed Labour Hire Licensing Compliance Unit will be responsible for regulating and ensuring compliance with the scheme.

For more information on the Queensland’s Labour Hire Licensing Scheme go to www.labourhire.qld.gov.au