Industrial inspectors have recovered more than $1 million for workers who were underpaid in 2024-2025, a state department claims.
The Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety today announced its inspectors have recouped underpayments for about 230 employees in the state.
The underpayments include wages, annual leave, and long service leave, which was the most commonly underpaid employee underpayment, according to the DLGIRS.
Private Sector Labour Relations director Cara Breuder said the department had established a dedicated long service leave unit to address the identified high level of non-compliance.
“For consecutive financial years now, long service leave has been the most commonly underpaid entitlement dealt with by industrial inspectors,” she said.
“Long service leave is a significant entitlement for employees, and it is concerning so many employers seemingly misunderstand their obligations or in some instances disregard them.”
The DLGIRS said most employees in the state were entitled to take long service leave after 10 years of continuous employment, and workers with at least seven years were generally entitled to payment for long service leave when their employment ends.
Ms Breuder said underpayment of wages was most prevalent in the cafe and restaurant sector, an industry which has been identified as high risk for potential wage theft.
“Industrial inspectors continue to target known problem sectors for unannounced inspections and audits,” she said.
“Employers are encouraged to be proactive to ensure they are complying with their employment obligations, including record keeping.”
The department’s inspectors found that four out of five businesses in the café and restaurant sector did not comply with state employment laws, from data collected in a previous campaign.
