Court sends media company a “serious message” with $272,000 penalty over unpaid internship

The Federal Circuit Court has imposed a $272,850 penalty against a media company to send it a “serious message” not to disguise employment relationships as unpaid internships.

Take-away food outlet allegedly used ‘internship’ program to exploit young Korean workers

A take-away food outlet in regional NSW is to face Court for allegedly using an unlawful ‘internship’ program to exploit three young overseas workers.

Surfers Paradise retail worker paid $12 an hour

A young Surfers Paradise worker has been back-paid almost $18,000 after being paid just $12 an hour for nearly a year.

Spot checks for 250 NSW businesses

The Fair Work Ombudsman is auditing up to 250 businesses across the Mid-Western and Northern regions of NSW as part of a new campaign.

Manjimup tradesman short-changed $14,200

A company at Manjimup in Western Australia has back-paid an employee $14,200 in termination entitlements following intervention by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Spot checks for 150 regional WA businesses

The Fair Work Ombudsman is auditing up to 150 businesses across Western Australia’s Great Southern and South-West regions as part of a new campaign.

Backpackers working at abattoir short-changed more than $35,000

A labour-hire company supplying workers to an abattoir in Western Australia underpaid 27 of its employees, many of them overseas workers, more than $35,000, an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman has found.

Court penalises café operator who threatened bankruptcy to avoid workplace obligations

A federal judge has imposed a penalty of $16,830 against the former operator of a Sydney café who threatened to bankrupt his company if action was taken against him for underpaying an overseas worker.

Cleaners at Myer stores allegedly underpaid

Cleaners at a number of Myer stores have allegedly been underpaid thousands of dollars by a major national cleaning contractor.

Help us keep workplaces fair

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James today appealed to the general community for help in combatting the exploitation of workers by rogue employers.