Horticulture labour hire workers – Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District

The Victorian Labour Hire Authority provides assistance to Horticulture workers to ensure they are treated fairly, paid the correct wages and have their rights as workers protected under the Law. Here, information is given to help protect Horticulture workers in the field (orchards, farms, picking, like this…)

HORTICULTURE WORKERS

If you work for a contractor picking, packing or planting fruit or vegetables, you’re probably a labour hire worker, and your rights are protected under Victorian law.

You may also do work for the contractor like sorting, labelling, grading, thinning, pruning or spraying plants.

If you are a labour hire worker, and you have concerns about you or your workmates being treated unfairly, let us know at the Labour Hire Authority (LHA).

MAKE A REPORT

You can make a confidential report if you are worried that you or your workmates:

are being paid unfairly
have health and safety risks at work
have your VISA status put at risk by your employer
are living in unsafe or unhealthy accommodation provided by your employer
are employed by a company that does not have a labour hire licence.

So we can help you, please include details like business names, people’s names, addresses, dates and times.

Also include evidence – like pay slips, timesheets, messages or emails – and a way for us to contact you if possible.

REPORT A PROBLEM AT

You Can report a problem here ← Click or Tap

You can also make a report using a translation service by contact Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 – tell them what language and ask them to call LHA on 1300 545 200.

If you have questions, or if would prefer to make a report by phone, you can call LHA directly on 1300 545 200.

What will happen when I report a problem?

It is against the law for you to be fired or penalised for raising an issue about your workplace rights, and you can ask for help from us directly or through a worker support organisation.

Your report will be taken seriously. It will remain confidential and not shared with any person, except as required or authorised by law.

Depending on what the problem is, we may also suggest that you make a report to the Fair Work Ombudsman or WorkSafe.

Check your employer’s licence status

If you are a labour hire worker in Victoria, your employer must hold a labour hire licence. You can check if your employer is licensed using the tools on the Check a provider’s licence status page at https://www.labourhireauthority.vic.gov.au/check-a-provider-s-licence-status/

If your employer is not licensed, you are at higher risk of unfair treatment, so you should let us know.

MORE INFORMATION

Authorised and published by the Labour Hire Authority, Bendigo VIC 3550. For translating and interpreter assistance call 131 450.

If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact us through the National Relay Service via https://relayservice.gov.au

For more information or to subscribe to the Authority’s newsletter visit https://labourhireauthority.vic.gov.au/subscribe. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, contact enquiries@labourhireauthority.vic.gov.au or call 1300 545 200.

Help Protect Your Workmates

	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District acknowledges the Yorta Yorta People of the land which comprises the Goulburn Valley. We pay respect to tribal Elders, past, present and emerging and we celebrate their continuing culture and acknowledge the memory of their ancestors.
	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District is a peak body whose mission is to promote and represent the social, cultural and economic well-being of ethnic communities in the Goulburn Valley Region through the provision of quality and innovative settlement, refugee support, community development, and information and advocacy services.