Media releases

The Fair Work Ombudsman has recovered $64,334 for 36 workers employed at various locations along the Great Ocean Road and Otway region of Victoria.

Twenty three workers in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley region have been back-paid more than $34,000 in wages and entitlements after seeking assistance from the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has assisted three workers employed by businesses in the Newcastle/Hunter region of NSW to recover $38,000 in unpaid wages and entitlements.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is reaching out to international students to encourage them to seek free help from the agency if they experience any issues while working in Australia.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James has welcomed new laws protecting vulnerable workers coming into effect today.

Two overseas backpackers who were paid low, flat rates while working at a crocodile farm in far north Queensland have been back-paid more than $13,000, following an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James has welcomed the passing of new laws that will significantly enhance its capacity to take action in cases of exploitation of vulnerable workers.

A former Perth restaurant operator is facing Court for allegedly requiring a Bangladeshi worker to repay thousands of dollars of his wages - and then dismissing him because he lodged a workers’ compensation claim after injuring his back at work.

A Melbourne labour-hire operator who paid an apprentice overseas mechanic nothing for almost three months work has been hit with maximum penalties and referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

Joint efforts by the Fair Work Ombudsman and Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) to improve compliance with federal workplace laws relating to apprentices and trainees will continue under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).