If passed, this legislation will introduce Victoria only penalties for failure to comply with Federal workplace relations legislation. It will also establish a new regulator, Wage Inspectorate Victoria, whose role will overlap with that of the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The Victorian Chamber does not support any failure to comply with employment laws. Every employee should receive their correct entitlements and all businesses should be able to compete fairly.

Underpayment is complex and driven by diverse factors. Australia has one of the most complex workplace relations systems of any country in the world.

The Victorian Chamber opposes the introduction of Victorian wage theft laws on the basis that they will duplicate and add to the already complex federal system currently in place.

We need a national approach. Unnecessary and confusing state by state approaches will damage the business environment and discourage employment.

The Federal Government has committed to introducing legislation that will criminalise the most serious forms of deliberate worker exploitation and wage underpayments and introduce significant jail terms and fines.

We look forward to engaging with the Federal Government on the development of these laws as part of its review of Australia’s workplace relations laws and we are seeking your feedback and experiences to help us. Please submit your views here.  

There is a real risk that this legislation could face constitutional challenges based on an inconsistency between a state law and a Commonwealth law.

This is why we are asking the Victorian Government to delay the introduction of these laws until proposed federal laws are settled and we are supporting the Victorian Opposition’s proposed amendment to delay the commencement of the legislation by 12 months.

At this difficult time, the last thing business needs is another layer of complexity added to our workplace laws. If passed, the cumulative impact of this and other anti-business policies risks reducing the competitiveness of Victorian business.