Advocacy in Action | Compliance & Regulation

In 2024/25, growers again identified the burden, cost, and duplication of compliance - and whether it is truly fit for purpose - as one of the key factors influencing their decision to remain in or leave the industry.

During this period, there were significant changes, particularly in the industrial relations space – and QFVG was on the front-line helping growers navigate the shifts.

We tried to influence the C14 determination, a complex Fair Work Commission decision that directly affects pay rates under the Horticulture Award. When the Commission released its provisional views in April 2024, the industry was left with more questions than answers: What counts as ‘industry experience’? How is three months calculated? Does it carry across employers and crops?

QFVG worked alongside national partners to put forward submissions, arguing that:

• Skills are not transferable across vastly different crops and roles

• Experience should be measured in hours, not calendar months

• Progression rules should reflect the realities of seasonal farm work.

Although these arguments were ultimately rejected, QFVG’s advocacy ensured growers’ concerns were heard and firmly on record. By November, the Commission confirmed its final position: from 1 April 2025, Level 1 employees under the Horticulture Award will automatically progress to Level 2 after three months’ industry experience, no matter where or when it was gained.

While this outcome falls short of the clarity growers sought, QFVG moved quickly to support compliance. QFVG’s Workplace Relations provider, Focus HR developed a free C14 Implementation Kit and provided direct workplace relations support and education to members. Our position remains clear: compliance should be fit-for-purpose, streamlined, and deliver tangible benefits to businesses - not unnecessary red tape.

There have also been positive results. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Horticulture Compliance Report 2021– 2024 recognised Queensland as a national leader in workplace compliance, with Wide Bay and Moreton Bay recording the lowest non-compliance rates in the country. QFVG’s Fair Farms program has played a central role in this achievement - equipping growers with the training and confidence to meet obligations and introducing a dedicated certification for labour hire providers.

The national picture tells a different story. While Queensland growers are lifting standards, 91 percent of infringement notices across the country were directed at labour hire operators. This reinforces QFVG’s long-standing position: compliance frameworks must apply equally to all suppliers, whether imported or domestically produced, and risk management responsibilities should be fairly shared across the supply chain.

As an industry-based compliance program, Fair Farms has also collaborated with other industry-based programs to remove duplication and improve alignment. The merging of the Fair Farms program with the sustainability reporting functionality of HortESG is a major step towards streamlined compliance and reduced duplication.

Queensland’s results prove what is possible when growers lean into accountability. Through advocacy, tools, and industry-led programs, QFVG is proud to lead the way in lifting compliance standards - and in pushing for regulation that models best practice, reduces duplication, and lowers costs for growers, while protecting the reputation of horticulture across Australia.