Federal Government officers have raided farms in Gatton, west of Brisbane, following reports of worker exploitation.
Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Assistant Commissioner Tony Goding said ATO officers joined representatives of the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Department of Home Affairs in surprise visits to seven locations in and around the South-East Queensland region.
Mr Goding said farms that produced broccoli, onions, pumpkins and shallots were targeted a the blitz on the “shadow economy”.
“Inspectors and officers on site spoke to workers, managers and employers, requesting a range of records, with investigations ongoing,” he said,
Mr Goding said the ATO, FWO and Department of Home Affairs were investigating farmers and labour hire providers to ensure they were complying with relevant tax, super, workplace and immigration laws.
“The shadow economy involves activities such as paying workers cash-in-hand to avoid obligations, paying wages below award rates and not paying workers’ other entitlements.
“Businesses that engage in the shadow economy are deliberately undercutting their competitors, gaining an unfair advantage in their industry and stealing from their employees’ futures.”
Mr Goding said if farmers were using a labour hire business to engage workers, they needed to ensure they were protecting their workers’ welfare and that labour hire operators were not just lining their own pockets.
“The ATO has zero tolerance for employers who are not doing the right thing. We’re committed to ensuring dodgy practices in the labour hire and agriculture industries are a thing of the past.”
He said the ATO had a range of methods, including sophisticated data analytics. to uncover shadow economy activities in the community.
They also act on tip-offs.
