The Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Department of Home Affairs’ Australian Border Force (ABF) have ramped up their compliance efforts across South Australia’s (SA’s) wine regions, conducting coordinated unannounced inspections targeting vineyard owners and labour hire providers. Investigations are focused on finding any unlawful practices by employers of seasonal vineyard workers.
Fair Work Ombudsman's Anna Booth discuss Operation Zephyr in the media grabs. More information is available in the media release:
Anna Booth: Operation Zephyr 1 video download (MPEG-4, 22.5MB).This link will download a file
Anna Booth: Operation Zephyr 1 audio download (MPEG-4, 1.5MB).This link will download a file
The Fair Work Ombudsman has joined forces with the Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Home Affairs to carry out surprise inspections at vineyards in the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale wine regions.
We’re working together to stamp out non-compliance with laws on pay and record-keeping, taxation, superannuation and immigration.
These inspections in 3 of South Australia’s key wine regions are part of our continuing work with other regulators to detect, disrupt and deter non-compliance with workplace laws nationally.
Anna Booth: Operation Zephyr 2 video download (MPEG-4, 23.9MB).This link will download a file
Anna Booth: Operation Zephyr 2 audio download (MPEG-4, 1.5MB).This link will download a file
Fair Work Inspectors will be finding out if vineyard employees are getting the right pay for their hard work picking and packing grapes. It’s also important that wine industry employers who are doing the right thing aren’t disadvantaged in their marketplace.
These South Australian wine regions – Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale – they're renowned for their impressive produce; we’re checking that the pay and conditions of employees on the ground are meeting the same high standard.
For the Fair Work Ombudsman, these inspections mark the beginning of a 3-year campaign of surprise inspections of employers in viticulture regions nationally.
Anna Booth: Operation Zephyr 3 video download (MPEG-4, 16.6MB).This link will download a file
Anna Booth: Operation Zephyr 3 audio download (MPEG-4, 1.1MB).This link will download a file
The agriculture sector – including viticulture – is a priority for the Fair Work Ombudsman. Many workers who are vulnerable to exploitation – such as visa holders – are employed in the wine industry, picking and packing grapes, and pruning vines.
Migrant workers have the same workplace rights under the Fair Work Act as other employees in Australia, and protections exist for their visa if they call out any breaches to us.
Images
A high-resolution headshot of Fair Work Ombudsman Anna BoothExternal Link is available from the Fair Work Ombudsman Newsroom.