The Fair Work Ombudsman has recovered $509 million in unpaid wages and entitlements for more than a quarter of a million workers in 2022/23.
This is the second-largest annual figure in the national regulator’s history.
More than half of the 2022-23 recoveries – $317 million – came from large corporate and university employers.
Acting Fair Work Ombudsman Kristen Hannah announced the $509 million figure in a speech to the Policy Influence Reform (PIR) conference in Canberra on August 1.
“The recovery of $509 million in the last financial year is a great result for the workers who have been back-paid their withheld wages, and also for the businesses that pay correctly and are no longer at a disadvantage as a result,” Hannah said.
“The latest recoveries mean the Fair Work Ombudsman has seen more than $1 billion recovered for workers across Australia in the last two years alone.”
Hannah said the results came after consistent work by FWO in establishing an environment that expects large companies to comply.
“The Fair Work Ombudsman is continuing to use all the powers available to us to enforce compliance, especially where breaches impact vulnerable workers,” she said.
“As a regulator, we recognise that prevention is better than cure, so we put a huge amount of effort into our education and advice function to help ensure employers and workers have the latest accurate information they need to be compliant.
“We highlight that from today, all national system employees can access ten days of Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave. That entitlement takes effect for small business today, after commencing for other employers in February.
“We have a range of updated information to help.”
The recovered unpaid wages in 2022/2023 included back pay of $1.9 million for David Jones and $2.1 million for Country Road Group subsidiary Politix to more than 7,000 underpaid employees.
Fair Work also commenced litigation against Super Retail Group and four of its subsidiaries (Rebel, Macpac, BCF and Supercheap Auto) for franchisee breaches of workplace laws.