The government has stepped up enforcement of labour laws, conducting 10,000 workplace inspections from January 2023 to March 30, 2026, and recovering more than $4 million for workers who were paid incorrectly, Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations Agni Deo Singh told Parliament on Thursday. The figures mark the latest push by the ministry to tighten compliance with minimum wage and record-keeping requirements across sectors.
Singh said the surge in checks — described as a mix of inspections and workplace audits — aimed to ensure employers maintain proper documentation, including payslips, contracts and timesheets. “If we find that workers are being underpaid, we act immediately,” he told MPs, adding that workplace audits have been tightened to make non-compliance easier to detect and address.
As part of the enforcement drive, the ministry has referred around 458 cases against employers to the Employment Relations Tribunal for failing to meet minimum wage obligations. Singh said many of those taken to the tribunal are repeat offenders, underlining the government’s intent to pursue legal remedies where education and compliance measures do not produce change.
The ministry also reported progress on resolving worker complaints. More than 2,200 complaints have already been resolved, Singh said, and authorities have improved reporting mechanisms to make it easier and safer for workers to come forward. Complaints can now be lodged in person, by phone, or via an online chat application on the ministry’s website, with assurances that complainants’ identities will be protected.
Beyond enforcement, the ministry has launched outreach and media campaigns to raise awareness about the new wage rates and workers’ rights, Singh said. He emphasised the dual approach of protecting workers while assisting employers, particularly small and medium enterprises, to adjust to updated wage requirements so businesses can remain viable as they comply.
The minister framed Thursday’s disclosure as both an accounting of recent activity and a warning: strengthened inspections and legal follow-through are intended to deter breaches and deliver back-pay to affected employees. The $4 million-plus in repayments, he said, is concrete evidence of the enforcement effort’s impact on worker incomes.
This latest update builds on the ministry’s public messaging around the recent wage-rate changes and shows an escalation from awareness and support measures to systematic checks and tribunal referrals. With thousands of inspections completed and hundreds of cases progressing to the Employment Relations Tribunal, the government’s campaign to enforce labour standards appears to be moving from policy adjustment into sustained oversight and legal enforcement.