Daniel Andrews’ new labour hire licensing regime will cost Victorian jobs
Only about one in eight applications to Daniel Andrews’ disastrous labour hire licensing regime have been approved.
The bureaucratic red tape delaying registration will cost thousands of Victorian jobs.
Despite more than 3500 applications sitting on the desks of bureaucrats, fewer than 470 have been processed.
Just like a Soviet-era bureaucracy, labour hire licensing commissars are demanding businesses handover thousands of dollars and reams of paperwork including business plans, insurance statements, WorkCover certificates, tax and financial statements, visas, transportation arrangements and industrial instruments— and are then leaving applicants in limbo, without knowing if they’ll be licensed to operate.
Small businesses have told the Liberal ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾s that the licensing regime is creating labour shortages, that licence applications are taking months to process, and that there is next to no customer service or answers available for those with questions about their applications.
With so few applications processed and a lack of help available, businesses are at risk of fines of up to $500,000 for using unlicensed labour hire, and many are still uncertain who’s licensed or if they can continue using labour hire providers they’re currently using.
The new labour hire licensing regime is also unnecessary when we have a Commonwealth Fair Work Ombudsman to enforce workplace law and crack down on rogue operators.
It’s time the Andrews Labor Government started working with businesses to create jobs, instead of just creating more red tape.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Nick Wakeling:
“The Andrews Government’s new labour hire licensing regime is already causing problems and confusion for Victorian small businesses.”
“For once, Daniel Andrews should try working with small businesses, instead of just creating more red tape.”
