Employment, wages and industrial relations — the people side of Australian business.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has told Senate Estimates it has not yet referred any matter to prosecutors, though six criminal investigations are under way and dozens more matters are being assessed.
The workplace regulator’s 2025–26 annual report shows recoveries for underpaid workers up 27%, a record 31,596 anonymous reports and large corporates accounting for almost half the money returned.
30 Oct 2026
Trucking operators say rivals using sham contracting are beating them on price by up to 30 per cent. The Fair Work Ombudsman has 24 active cases, and the arithmetic applies well beyond freight.
20 Oct 2026
More than 12 per cent of cafés, restaurants and takeaway businesses have closed in a year, and the payment data published since has got worse, not better.
14 Oct 2026
