Horticulture employs thousands of workers in Victoria every year. Workers picking fruit and vegetables are among Victoria’s most vulnerable, so it’s critical that companies that provide or host labour hire workers meet their legal obligations.

Under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018 (Vic):

• businesses must be licensed to supply labour hire workers, including for horticulture activities such as picking, packing, sorting and pruning
• ‘host’ businesses such as grape growers – who engage workers through a labour hire provider – must only use licensed providers.

Significant penalties can apply for breaches of these obligations – exceeding $600,000 for companies and $150,000 for individuals.

Register of licensed providers
The Labour Hire Authority’s (LHA) Register of Licensed Labour Hire Providers provides hosts with a quick way to check whether a business they are considering engaging is licensed to provide labour hire services.

By checking the Register, hosts can ensure they do not risk penalties from using an unlicensed provider, and that their provider has met the checks required to obtain and maintain a licence. LHA encourages labour hire hosts to check the Register, and to contact a provider’s nominated officer to confirm they are engaging a licensed provider. Hosts can also use LHA’s Follow My Providers tool to be notified of any changes in providers’ licence status.