The host corner, and the side it stands on
Queensland: “users of labour hire must only use licensed labour hire providers”, and a provider who has only applied is not enough; the licence must be current.
Victoria: hosts must only use licensed providers.
South Australia: “Host businesses must ensure the provider is licensed or risk penalties for using unlicensed providers.”
ACT: a host that hires labour hire workers may only use a licensed provider, and host organisations themselves do not need a licence.
What using an unlicensed provider anyway brings: Queensland’s page says it is an offence to use an unlicensed labour hire provider, and a provider whose application has been refused is not one a host can keep using.
Victoria’s page warns of substantial penalties for engaging an unlicensed provider.
South Australia: “If you use a labour hire provider who isn’t licensed after 29 July 2026, you risk significant penalties.”
The ACT’s FAQ says financial penalties may apply to hosts who engage unlicensed providers.
Queensland’s page puts a question to any business with workers it does not directly employ: consider whether the arrangement is labour hire.
The penalties compared, each with its year
Each scheme’s own page, read side by side, with the date that page puts on its figures.
| Jurisdiction | What the page states | The year stated |
|---|---|---|
| QLD | For providing labour hire services without a licence, the page gives a maximum of $518,100 (3,000 penalty units) for a corporation and, for an individual, $178,571.80 (1,034 penalty units) or three years in prison. Using an unlicensed provider is an offence it also lists. | Penalty unit value from 1 July 2026. |
| VIC | Unlicensed labour hire services: $167,280 for an individual and $669,120 for a corporation, for providing labour hire services without a licence or engaging an unlicensed provider. | 2026-27 Financial Year |
| SA | Maximum penalty: $140,000 for an individual and $400,000 for a body corporate; the same maximum penalties are stated for a host entering into an agreement with an unlicensed provider. | No year given on the page. |
| ACT | For a provider that supplies labour hire services without a licence after 27 November 2021, the FAQs put the maximum at $128,000 for an individual and $2,430,000 for a corporation. For a host that engages an unlicensed provider, they say financial penalties may apply. | The FAQs date from August 2021. |
Victoria’s figures are those the Labour Hire Authority gives for the 2026-27 financial year.
The ACT’s figures come from a WorkSafe ACT FAQ of August 2021, and a WorkSafe ACT release said compliance and enforcement action was due to begin on 27 November 2021.
The check the host can keep
Before engaging a provider, the register is the check: Victoria’s Authority says to check the licence of any current providers on its register, and not to rely on paper documentation, which can be illegitimate or out of date.
Labour Hire Licensing Queensland puts its own suggestion under “You can help tackle unlicensed activity and exploitation of workers by”:
- “using the labour hire register to check if your labour hire provider has a current licence”.
Consumer and Business Services lists what a host can do, under “You can help limit unlicensed activity and exploitation of workers by”:
- checking the labour hire provider register, maintaining a list of all workers on your site, and understanding your responsibilities to labour hire workers.
- checking contract prices to make sure labour costs can be covered under Awards and Agreements, setting clear expectations that you expect the labour hire provider to act within workplace laws, and understanding subcontracting arrangements that may take place.
Where workers come through an agent or intermediary, South Australia’s page says a host can expect the provider’s details and licence number from them.
South Australia’s duties go past the licence check: a host must not enter into an avoidance arrangement, and inspectors can enter a host’s site to check a provider’s compliance.
What this corner does not reach
The licensing side does not answer who employs the worker, who carries the safety duty, or what a same pay order sets; those are the other sides of the triangle.
The duties are stated for Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.
NSW’s own page says there is currently no licensing scheme there. As at March 2023, the Commonwealth department recorded no specific labour hire regulation in WA, TAS or NT.
Where the official words are
The host’s duties and penalties come from the four licensing regulators’ own pages, and the Queensland and South Australian register suggestions are those regulators’ words to hosts. All were read on 13 October 2026.