Employers paid more than $185,000 in fines for dodgy pay rates
Employers across Australia have been warned against advertising jobs at illegal pay rates after cases more than doubled in the past year.
The Fair Work Ombudsman said advertised pay rates in job adverts should meet the minimum required by an industrial instrument, such as an award or enterprise agreement, or the National Minimum Wage.
"Employers have the clear obligation to advertise only lawful pay rates, and those doing the wrong thing are being hit with fines," Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said in a statement.
The warning comes after the FWO issued 318 Infringement Notices in 2024-2025 for job adverts that contained illegal pay rates. This is more than double the 156 Infringement Notices issued in 2023-24.
Overall, employers have paid more than $185,000 in fines, including $111,306 in 2024-25 and almost $74,000 in 2023-24.
"Stamping out job ads that offer dodgy pay rates prevents workers from being underpaid from the get-go and ensures a fair playing field for businesses that are doing the right thing," Booth said.
The FWO added that it has resources that employers need to get their pay rates right, including pay guides and a pay calculator.
"We want employers to get their pay rates right from the start, and we have all the information they need to do so," Booth said.
Major job advert platforms engaged
Job adverts with illegal pay rates have been banned in Australia since January 2023.
Major job platforms have also been engaged to prevent the proliferation of unlawful job adverts, according to the FWO.
"Prevention is better than cure so the FWO has also met with the major job platforms and called on them to increase their efforts to prevent unlawful job ads appearing," Booth said.
