Latest news from QFVG
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Wage and super changes now active: what you need to know
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has confirmed a 3.5% increase to minimum award wages, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2025. Importantly, the updated wage tables for the Horticulture Award 2020 and other relevant modern awards have now been released.
Addressing psychosocial hazards: new employer duties in 2025
Queensland’s workplace safety rules have expanded beyond physical risks to include psychosocial hazards – issues like workplace stress, bullying and harassment, sexual harassment, poor communication, unrealistic expectations, lack of support and toxic organisational cultures.
Better fruit, stronger future: The Australian pineapple industry’s bold steps to grow, improve
From elite pineapple clones to smarter spray systems and a prototype that could reshape the future of pineapple planting - this year’s Elimbah CO-OP Pineapple Field Days (24–25 July, Sunshine Coast) will put practical, grower-led innovation on full display.
IR Unpacked 2025: Understanding IR Changes & New Minimum Wages
QFVG's Partner Who Cares, and leading workplace advisors, Focus HR provides a full breakdown of what all businesses need to know about the new and significant IR changes and the new minimum wage decision which came into effect on Tuesday, 1 July 2025.
Protection Visas: Let's change the conversation
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is one key piece of the horticulture industry’s workforce puzzle.
Queensland leads the way on farm workplace compliance
Queensland’s horticulture industry has been recognised as a national leader in workplace compliance, following the release today of the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Horticulture Compliance Report 2021–2024.
Grower feedback shapes future support for Queensland horticulture
Queensland’s horticulture industry is taking a big step forward with data-driven insights that promise smarter, more resilient farming.
Hort Connections 2025: tech, treats & trends
From curious confections like beetroot ice cream and carrot marshmallows to state-of-the-art precision technologies and AI, last week’s Hort Connections Conference was a showcase of current and emerging solutions across the supply chain.
Queensland grit shines on
As Australia’s most disaster-prone state, Queenslanders certainly bring the grit when it comes to navigating everything mother nature throws at us.
2025 Fair Work minimum wage review
With Fair Work’s Annual National Minimum Wage Review just announced and taking effect from the first full pay period after 1 July, now’s the perfect time to get ahead and make sure your business is prepared.
Why strategy still matters - even when the weather doesn’t care
In horticulture, the phrase “best laid plans” often feels like a cruel joke. A bumper harvest can be ruined by unexpected rain, an oversupplied market, or external factors like tariff shifts.
Have your IR/HR questions answered
With only a handful of sessions left, if workforce is keeping you up at night… this is an opportunity not to be missed.
Get ready for superannuation guarantee changes
From 1 July 2025, the rate of superannuation guarantee is increasing from 11.5% to 12%.
Incorrect wage payments cost Chatime over $290,000 in backpay, penalties
One recent case serves as a reminder that those who make executive decisions that result in contraventions of minimum conditions, may be held personally liable for such decisions.
IR Unpacked
Join QFVG Partner Who Cares, and leading workplace advisors, Focus HR, as they provide a full breakdown of what all businesses need to know about the new and significant IR changes and the new minimum wage decision coming into effect on Tuesday, 1 July 2025.
Expanded disaster assistance guidelines a win for Queensland horticulture
State industry body for Queensland fruit, vegetable, and nut growers – Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) – has welcomed today’s announcement that will see the definition of a primary producer amended allowing greater access to support under the join Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Unpacking ESG for growers
Ask around in the horticulture industry about ESG, and you'll get mixed reactions. Some growers have never come across the term, while others are already knee-deep in reporting.
When purse strings become chains: The hidden cost of market domination
Coercive control and financial abuse are key topics for May’s “Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month” but while most public conversations and events will rightly focus on individual victims of this harm, advocates for fresh produce view this abuse through a different lens – one where we see systemic, systematic, and deeply damaging relationships within our own industry.
Fair Farms: Changing the compliance story in Australian horticulture
Fair Farms was launched in 2019 in direct response to the Harvest Trail Inquiry, which revealed that half of the 638 horticultural businesses investigated had breached workplace laws.
No bees, no food: collaboration is crucial
The role of honeybees in supporting crop lifecycles is a fascinating and nuanced story. For example, you don’t need a bee to grow an onion, but you absolutely need a bee for onion seeds.