Inquiry into the Victorian on-demand workforce

The Victorian Chamber will be hosting three business roundtable discussions targeting on-demand service users, suppliers and competitors.

• Users of digital workforce services - Wednesday 20 February 2019, 9.30am -11am
• Suppliers of digital workforce services - Friday 22 February 2019, 9.30am -11am
• Competitors to digital workforce services - Friday 22 February 2019, 11.30am -1pm

The inquiry wants to hear about your experiences. For example, has accessing workers through an online platform allowed you to scale and respond more quickly to customer demand? Alternatively, has competing with online platforms placed pressure on your business?

Businesses interested in participating should email Hugh Horsfall from the Policy and Advocacy Team or call (03) 8662 5106.

The inquiry is investigating the extent of the on-demand sector and the status of people working with or for on-line companies or platforms in Victoria. It will also examine contracting arrangements, and whether these are being used to avoid workplace laws and other statutory obligations.

Examples of the on-demand sector include ridesharing and food delivery services such as uber, DiDi, and deliveroo, platforms for hiring freelance workers such as Airtasker, freelancer and upwork, as well as more specialised platforms providing professional services.

This inquiry has potential implications for both providers and users of on-demand services as well as traditional businesses that compete with on-demand services. The inquiry also has potential implications for providers and users of traditional independent contracting arrangements.

The Victorian Chamber will also be representing members and making a submission to the inquiry.