January
Change to small wage theft claims could prompt ‘go away money’ surge
A departmental recommendation that employers pay workers’ legal costs if they lose underpayment cases of up to $100,000 has sparked business fears.
Luxury island retreat underpaid staff by more than $20m
The operators of Hamilton Island’s leisure facilities have agreed to backpay thousands of employees, admitting to almost a decade of underpayment.
December 2024
Melbourne Uni’s $72m deal to settle backpay case sets precedent
The University of Melbourne has agreed to overhaul its compliance systems in an underpayment settlement that the regulator says sets the bar for large employers.
November 2024
Former Slater & Gordon HR boss alleges firm knew about underpayments
In July, the Labor-aligned law firm disclosed a decade-long miscalculation of leave, which had left staff out of pocket. It attributed this to human error.
October 2024
Celebrity chef sued for allegedly underpaying staff
The chef’s hatted restaurant Metisse at Potts Point closed just days after the Fair Work Ombudsman pursued it over the alleged underpayment of two visa workers.
June 2024
Unis should face inquiry into $380m in underpayments: academics’ union
Universities are the worst underpayers of staff across the economy and now the academics’ union wants a federal inquiry.
Ord Minnett breached laws by dodging paid leave, minimum wage: judge
The court ruling could expose the firm and the broader finance sector to major back-pay claims from advisers.
May 2024
Accenture warned of ‘$40m back-pay risk’ for overtime
A former human resources executive claims she warned Accenture’s board it was at risk of having to pay up to $40 million to staff who worked excessive hours.
April 2024
Din Tai Fung fined $4m for ‘calculated scheme to rob employees’
Popular dumpling chain Din Tai Fung and two of its senior managers have been fined more than $4 million for a fraudulent scheme that underpaid the workforce and created fake pay records to conceal the truth.
March 2024
Hemmes’ Merivale to pay out $18m in underpayment class action
The billion-dollar hospitality empire has settled a massive underpayment class action without admissions, but almost half that amount will go to lawyers.
February 2024
Court whacks CBA with record $10m fine for wage theft
The ruling is the first time a major corporation has faced fines for serious breaches of underpayment laws.
December 2023
Hire firm used ‘below award’ business model for decades: ruling
A subsidiary of the country’s largest listed labour-hire company has been forced to pay workers penalty rates and overtime for the first time in 20 years.
University wage theft tops $159m: union tally
The majority of universities have now been involved in short-changing some 100,000 staff, with unions saying there is a crisis of accountability in the sector.
Landmark wage theft case collapses
The Victorian government’s wage cop has dropped its first criminal case over underpayments, signalling the potential end of the state’s wage theft jurisdiction.
November 2023
Billabong exposed as penalty rates dodger
One of Australia’s best-known surf labels has been forced to pay hundreds of retail staff penalty rates for the first time in eight years as the retail union targets a new wave of zombie deals.
October 2023
Aldi accused of ‘deliberate’ wage theft worth $150m
The supermarket group is facing a class action for allegedly underpaying more than 20,000 current and former workers more than $150 million.
Year of reckoning: how sexual assault caught up with Australia’s universities
The departure of Catriona Jackson, chief executive of Universities Australia, could provide a circuit breaker for the under-fire sector. But will it be enough?
New workplace watchdog backs ‘collaborative’ approach to wage theft
Anna Booth, the newly appointed Fair Work Ombudsman, says her tendency is to be “cooperative and collaborative”, potentially signalling a shift in strategy that could better engage business.
September 2023
UNSW ‘knowingly’ kept poor pay records in face of underpayments
The workplace watchdog has launched court action against the university over payroll practices so inadequate it could not work out if casual academics were underpaid.
Court fight could leave business facing ‘overlapping’ wage theft laws
State Labor governments are arguing their wage theft laws can co-exist with federal underpayment laws, risking the prospect of multiple criminal regimes for business.