The Fair Work Ombudsman will audit up to 125 businesses in Adelaide’s CBD and North Adelaide; up to 250 businesses in Melbourne’s Dandenong, Dandenong South and Springvale; and up to 150 businesses across Kwinana, Rockingham and Armadale in Perth’s southern suburbs over the next three months as part of a new campaign.
Fair Work inspectors will check that employers are paying the correct minimum hourly rates, penalty rates, allowances, loadings and providing appropriate meal breaks. Compliance with record-keeping and pay-slip obligations will also be monitored. All businesses will be randomly selected, Fair Work said.
The Adelaide campaign will focus on a range of businesses including cafes, restaurants, pubs, taverns, bars and security services.
In the Dandenong region, employers such as road freight transport, building and industrial cleaning, carpentry, takeaway food, cafes and restaurants will be included.
The WA campaign will focus on a range of sectors, including hair and beauty, real estate, electrical services, carpentry, road freight transport, engineering services and hospitality.
Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said that the areas targeted were a persistent source of requests for assistance from workers.
Ms James said that one of the aims of the campaign is to ensure employers are aware of their workplace responsibilities and how the Agency can assist them to access, understand and apply information to build a culture of compliance.
“It’s important we check that workers are being paid correctly, but we also want to be pro-active about ensuring employers understand their obligations,” she said.
“Inspectors will make dozens of face-to-face visits to businesses during the campaign so they can offer employers tailored assistance to rectify any non-compliance issues and put processes in place to ensure they get it right in the future.”
Inspectors will inform employers about the range of free tools and resources available to them on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website at www.fairwork.gov.au.