"Labour hire regulator clamps down on substandard accommodation for migrant workers", 17 August 2026

Labour hire companies that house migrant workers in substandard accommodation will risk losing their licence as part of a new crackdown.

The Victorian Labour Hire Authority has launched new licence conditions after a series of cases in which migrant workers were housed in poor conditions.

The authority, which works to prevent the exploitation of labour hire workers, brought in the conditions for businesses that provide housing for their workers.

The conditions have been put in place for providers in industries such as horticulture and meat processing, which have high rates of worker exploitation.

In addition to losing their licences, businesses that do not comply face fines of more than $160,000.

The authority's director of intelligence, compliance and enforcement Erin Barlow said the changes were aimed at protecting vulnerable workers…

The accommodation in Warragul, about an hour east of Melbourne, had sewage pooling in the front yard and black mould covering doors, windows, ceilings and curtains.

… Victorian Farmers Federation horticulture president Michael Crisera said the change was a good step for the industry.

"We're definitely supportive of improving conditions for our workers," he said.

"Any industries with labour hire involved definitely need some more compliance."

Mr Crisera said there needed to be education for labour hire providers about what the standards were, as well as education for workers…

The standards are now a part of some labour hire licence conditions, which allows the Labour Hire Authority to take action against businesses that do not comply.

The conditions are being applied to new labour hire licences in the horticulture, meat and poultry processing, commercial cleaning, and security industries and will be rolled out to existing licence holders in those sectors in coming months.