Multi-agency field visits in Mareeba and surrounds

Labour Hire Licensing Compliance Unit (LHLCU) inspectors recently conducted field visits with officers from Department of Employment Workplace Relations (DEWR) and the Australian Border Force (ABF) across the Mareeba and surrounding regions.

Over three days in December 2025, LHLCU inspectors visited 17 locations and spoke with growers and their representatives, as well as labour hire workers and their supervisors.

The visits allowed LHLCU inspectors to engage with growers in the region and provide awareness and education on the labour hire licensing scheme, including best practice guidance on engaging labour hire providers.

Overall, growers appeared to have a good level of awareness of the purpose and importance of the scheme, with many able to discuss steps they were taking to identify situations where workers may be exploited by unlicensed operators.

The LHLCU also gathered significant intelligence about unlicensed labour hire activities in the region, which will be investigated further. Providing labour hire services without a licence is an offence and can result in significant penalties if prosecuted. The LHLCU has already prosecuted an unlicensed labour hire provider in the Mareeba area, resulting in an $80,000 fine for the individual.

Working with DEWR and ABF on these types of field activities has supported effective intelligence sharing and contributed to preventing worker exploitation by unscrupulous operators.

In addition to the activities in the agricultural industry, the LHLCU visited licensed venues in Cairns to provide education and support compliance with the labour hire licensing scheme. The security industry, and particularly the provision of security guards to license venues, continues to be a priority area for the LHLCU with further compliance activities planned for 2025-26.