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Qld labour hire licensing bill introduced

NEW legislation has been introduced into Queensland Parliament to create a compulsory labour hire licensing scheme.

Queensland’s Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace blamed the Federal Government’s inability to act as she pressed ahead with the Labour Hire Licensing Bill 2017.

The Minister said the mandatory licensing scheme was aimed at protecting workers and restoring a level playing field for ethical operators to compete fairly.

According to the Minister’s speech introducing the Bill, the two core elements underpinning the scheme are:

  • All labour hire providers must be licensed to operate in Queensland; and
  • Any business that uses labour hire must only engage a licensed provider.

The Bill was referred to the Finance and Administration Committee for review with the Committee due to report by 24 July 2017.

The Committee invites submissions addressing any aspect of the Bill..

The closing date for written submissions is Monday, 19 June 2017 at 4pm. Any Member interested in making a submission should refer to the Committee page.

Labour Hire Licensing Bill 2017 Explanatory Notes

Labour Hire Licensing Bill 2017 Explanatory Speech

Resource sector regulation opposed by AREEA

The development in Queensland comes after the Victorian Government in May announced new reforms in response to its recent inquiry into the labour hire sector, including its intentions to introduce a new licensing scheme for labour hire providers in at least three sectors.

AREEA has been actively engaged in the inquiry in Queensland, making a submission to the inquiry into the practices of the labour hire industry in Queensland in early 2016 and again writing to the Minister in late 2016 to highlight the outcomes of the Victorian inquiry and reiterate the high wages and compliance levels typical of the resources sector.

AREEA notes that increased regulation of the labour hire industry from Labor state governments is not surprising.

Labour hire has been subject to a number of federal and state inquiries in recent years and is a key issue campaigned upon by unions.

Compulsory licensing for labour hire in the resource sector is an issue AREEA has consistently opposed, especially given it is entirely different to the low paying, non-compliant examples which have given rise to these various inquiries in recent years.

AREEA will continue to closely monitor developments in relation to the use of labour hiring at both the national and state level, and continue to argue for cost-effective, practical access to this important option for doing business in the resource industry.

In particular, AREEA will continue to seek to influence and closely monitor the response of the Victorian, Queensland and South Australian governments to the recommendations they have received.

To better inform AREEA’s position in response to the introduction of this legislation, AREEA is hosting a member’s Labour Hire Forum in its Brisbane office on 6 June 2017 for the purposes of reviewing the legislation, highlight impacts for Labour hire businesses and their clients and identifying next steps.

Click here for further AREEA analysis on this matter. Have any concerns or queries about this inquiry? AREEA’s policy team are here to help. Please visit AREEA’s contact us page, or email [email protected]

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