The founder of WA labour hire company Ochre Workforce Solutions is facing years in prison after being convicted of several offences following an ASIC investigation.
The founder of WA labour hire company Ochre Workforce Solutions is facing years in prison after being convicted of several offences following an ASIC investigation.
Joanne Jennifer Pellew was convicted on three counts of dishonestly using her position as a director and one count of managing a corporation when disqualified in the District Court of Western Australia on July 2.
Ms Pellew was found not guilty on three other counts of managing a corporation while disqualified.
The convictions, which carry a maximum penalty of up to 2000 penalty units or five years' imprisonment, follow an investigation by ASIC and relate to Ms Pellew’s involvement in three labour hire companies, including Ochre Training, Ochre Workforce Solutions and Ochre People.
The jury found three dishonest and unlawful transfers Ms Pellew made, totalling $739,655, from Ochre Training Pty Ltd to Ochre Workforce Solutions Pty Ltd, as well as Ms Pellew's participation in a labour hire agreement between Ochre People Pty Ltd and the WA Country Health Service while disqualified from managing corporations.
Ms Pellew was first charged by ASIC in July 2021, at which time the corporate watchdog alleged Ms Pellew had executed three labour hire agreements and entered payment plans with the Australian Taxation Office on behalf of Ochre People between May 2019 and February 2020, despite having been disqualified.
Ms Pellew established Ochre in 2010, Australia's first dedicated Aboriginal labour hire company, and led the company until its collapse in 2019; at which point it held debts in the order of $4.5 million.
Liquidators found her management to be a contributing factor in the collapse, with Ms Pellew having allegedly failed to maintain proper financial records and pay taxes.
The corporate watchdog also charged the former principle of Ochre People, Hazeem Lamar Hajinoor, after he failed to cooperate with authorities during their investigation.
Mr Hajinoor had been asked to appear before the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in November 2020, but failed to do so.
He appeared at a subsequent hearing in December, at which ASIC said he failed to answer questions.
He was subsequently charged with failing to attend and comply with examination requirements in September 2021.
That led to a prolonged legal process in which Mr Hajinoor eventually pleaded guilty in November 2022 to two charges, one of which involved the rolling up of three similar charges into one.
He was sentenced to a 12-month intensive supervision order.
Ms Pellew's matter is listed for sentencing on September 4, 2026.
