The ATO, Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Department of Home Affairs have joined forces under the Shadow Economy Taskforce to investigate labour hire providers suspected of unlawful conduct in the agriculture industry through surprise visits in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland.
Assistant Commissioner Tony Goding speaks to Operation Topaz in the media grabs. More information is available in the media release: Suspected farm worker exploitation under investigation in Gatton.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 1 video download (MP4 26.8MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 1 audio download (MP3 4.1 MB)This link will download a file
This week, the ATO, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs joined forces. Our officers visited a number of farms and labour hire providers in and around Gatton in Southeast Queensland to ensure they are complying with the relevant tax, super, workplace and immigration laws.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 2 video download (MP4 31.7MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 2 audio download (MP3 4.8MB)This link will download a file
The ATO, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs conducted surprise visits at 7 locations in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland this week including farms that produce broccoli, onions, pumpkins and shallots. It’s all about ensuring compliance with tax, super, workplace and immigration laws. Investigations are ongoing.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 3 video download (MP4 45.8MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 3 audio download (MP3 6.9MB)This link will download a file
The ATO, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs conducted surprise visits at 7 locations in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland this week. The visits were to investigate whether employers are complying with tax, super, workplace and immigration laws. The ATO has zero tolerance for employers who are not doing the right thing. We’re committed to ensuring dodgy practices in the labour hire and agriculture industries are a thing of the past. This week’s action in Gatton should be a warning to all employers who think they can get away with exploiting their workers.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 4 video download (MP4 33.4MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 4 audio download (MP3 5MB)This link will download a file
The ATO, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs conducted surprise visits at 7 locations in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland this week. Employers that do not meet their obligations face firmer and faster action. If farmers are using a labour hire business to engage workers, they need to ensure that they are protecting their workers’ welfare and that labour hire operators are not just lining their own pockets.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 5 video download (MP4 27.3MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 5 audio download (MP3 4.1MB)This link will download a file
If you think a business is ripping off the tax and super system or their workers, you can report it. Making a tip-off to the ATO only takes a few minutes and you can remain anonymous. Visit www.ato.gov.au/tipoff or call 1800 060 062.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 6 video download (MP4 44.9MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 6 audio download (MP3 6.7MB)This link will download a file
The ATO, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs conducted surprise visits at 7 locations in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland this week to investigate suspected shadow economy activity. The ATO has a range of methods including sophisticated data analytics to uncover shadow economy activities in the community. Partner agencies in the Shadow Economy Taskforce regularly share intelligence and community tip-offs. Combined, these helped shine the light on worker exploitation uncovered as part of our operation this week.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 7 video download (MP4 45.4MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 7 audio download (MP3 6.8MB)This link will download a file
The ATO, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs conducted surprise visits at 7 locations in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland this week to investigate suspected shadow economy activity. The shadow economy involves activities such as paying workers cash-in-hand to avoid obligations, paying wages below award rates and not paying workers’ other entitlements. Businesses that engage in worker exploitation are deliberately undercutting their competitors, gaining an unfair advantage in their industry and stealing from their employees’ futures.
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 8 video download (MP4 26.8MB)This link will download a file
Tony Goding: Operation Topaz 8 audio download (MP3 4MB)This link will download a file
The ATO, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs conducted surprise visits at 7 locations in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland this week. If farmers are using a labour hire business to engage workers, they need to ensure they are protecting their workers’ welfare and that labour hire operators are not just lining their own pockets.
Images
A high-resolution headshot of ATO Assistant Commissioner Tony Goding is available from the ATO media centre.