Category Archives: Harvest Trail Talk

Trail Talk

Labour Hire Update – for growers

Labour Hire Update Three states now have labour hire licensing laws – Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. Is this a national trend?  Will growers in the other states find it more difficult to prove ethical sourcing of labour for their markets without the support of a licensing regime for their labour hire contractors (LHC)? Queensland […]

Changes to pay rates

New pay rates for casual workers Casual workers in horticulture are now entitled to overtime payment in certain conditions and should get familiar with their entitlements under the Hort Award. A recent decision by the Fair Work Commission that changes the Hort Award, which sets the base pay rate for people working in horticulture, means […]

Legal workers – how to cover yourself

By Peter Angel, NHLIS State Manager, MADEC Whose responsibility is it to check workers are legal? If you are an employer it is your legal responsibility to ensure your workers have the right to work. Using a labour hire contractor to avoid that obligation yourself is still fraught with danger; there are some circumstances where […]

Horticulture award changes

Get ready to manage the Hort Award changes Make sure you are ready for the changes that have occurred to the Horticulture Award, which mean casual workers are entitled to overtime payments in certain conditions. Hort award changes – are you ready? The most significant changes to the Horticulture Award since 2010 now mean that all casual workers […]

National labour hire licensing

National labour hire licensing is coming – and it’s good news for horticulture By Rob Hayes, State Manager – National Harvest Labour Information Service, MADEC A national labour hire licensing scheme for horticulture was announced by the Liberal party prior to their re-election. Now, with new Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie at the helm, growers need […]

Migrant worker report has implications for growers

Migrant worker report has implications for growers The Federal Government has released a report on migrant workers, including those in horticulture, that recommends a national labour hire registration scheme and stronger enforcement against employers who don’t pay their staff properly. “The report contains recommendations that could have significant implications for the horticulture industry,” said Mr […]