Hobart and Melbourne restaurants face Fair Work crackdown

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has made surprise inspections at Hobart and Melbourne restaurants and cafes over the past week.

In Melbourne, the FWO and the Australian Border Force (ABF) united to make surprise inspections at restaurants, cafes, and various other retail businesses employing migrant workers.

The on-the-ground inspections targeted employers of people on sponsored Temporary Skills Shortage visas. In Australia, chefs are among the top occupations of sponsored visa holders. According to the ABS, food services is one of the top-sponsored industries in 2024-25, with chefs being the top occupation, making up 7.7 per cent of the total primary visa recipients.

The blitz was part of the FWO’s ongoing efforts to assess the compliance of temporary migrant workers sponsors. Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said the joint effort aimed to hold employers accountable.

“Workplace breaches that involve migrant workers may be particularly serious as these workers can be vulnerable to exploitation. We find they are often unaware of their workplace rights or unwilling to speak up if something seems wrong,” said Booth.

“It is crucial visa holders know that they have the same workplace rights as all other workers, and protections for visas exist if they call out workplace exploitation. We urge workers with concerns about wages and entitlements to reach out to us.”

ABF Commander Field Operations and Sponsor Monitoring Ben Biddington added that there is no place in Australia for employers who exploit migrant workers. “Our message is clear to employers: do the right thing and abide by your obligations. Don’t exploit vulnerable workers or abuse our visa regime — there is no excuse and the consequences could be severe,” said Biddington.

Hobart’s north-eastern suburbs received similar scrutiny from Fair Work this week, with 29 fast food, restaurant, and cafes targeted across Hobart CBD, North Hobart, Howrah, Rosny, and Linisfarne.

According to Booth, the surprise inspections were part of the Food Precincts Program. “We’ve often found that low-cost dining comes at the expense of workers’ lawful wages,” she said. The regulator conducted a similar investigation under the same program in Melbourne late last year.

The Hobart inspections were based on employee tip-offs, on businesses with a history of alleged non-compliance, and on businesses that employed vulnerable groups like visa holders and young people.

In 2023–24, FWO recovered $5.6 million for more than 3000 underpaid fast-food outlet, restaurant, and café workers nationally.

Employers and employees can visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 for free advice and assistance.

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