$358m in back pay recovered for Aussie workers last year

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) recovered $358 million for more than 249,000 underpaid workers in 2024–25.

The FWO secured $358 million for Australian workers who were underpaid in the last financial year, bringing back payments to more than $2 billion across the last five years.

Contributing to the total recovered figure was FWO’s highest-ever secured court penalty, in which the operators of Sushi Bay outlets in NSW, Darwin, and Canberra were ordered to pay $15.3 million for deliberately underpaying 163 workers more than $650,000.

Corporate sector employers had to pay back almost $23 million to almost 118,000 underpaid employees, and a record total of $23.7 million in court penalties was secured in the last year.

The FWO also entered into eight enforceable undertakings (EUs), which included a total of $47 million back paid to employees. Four of the eight EUs were with universities.

Elsewhere, the workplace regulator also issued 1,220 compliance notices, recovering $8.2 million in unpaid wages for 3,438 workers, and it helped recover $7.3 million for 2,120 workers through dispute assistance.

Moreover, Fair Work inspectors also handed out 743 infringement notices (fines) for record-keeping or pay slip breaches, with $838,000 in penalties paid.

Speaking about the recovered wages, Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth (pictured) said the regulator continues to achieve strong recoveries through its compliance and enforcement approach, in part due to its consistent commitment to addressing underpayments by large employers.

“The Fair Work Ombudsman has again helped deliver significant back payments to workers across the nation, holding employers to account,” she said.

“An important element of this has been our clear expectations to large corporates that following workplace laws must be an ongoing priority – and this includes thoroughly fixing up past underpayments as well as improving governance and processes for the future.

“Our investigations and litigations have highlighted what is at stake if employers aren’t serious about meeting all their workers’ legal entitlements. We have also embedded a strategic compliance and enforcement approach that is tailored to the specific circumstances and context of each matter. We work with employers and workers to resolve workplace disputes, including encouraging voluntary and guided compliance whenever appropriate.

“The Fair Work Ombudsman is continuing to expand our collaboration with employer organisations and unions to educate employers and workers. Every participant in the workplace community has a role to play to ensure a laser focus on compliance with workplace laws.”

Booth also noted that there is plenty more to do in the year to come.

“We are continuing our intelligence-led, priority-driven work in 2025–26, targeting the high-risk sectors of aged care services, agriculture, building and construction, disability support services, fast food, restaurants and cafés, large corporates, and universities,” she said.

“We retain our enduring priorities of assisting small-business employers and employees, and vulnerable workers.”