Australian workers back-paid $473 million
                     Australian workers 
back-paid $473 
million
In 2023-24, Aussie workers clawed back a whopping 
$473 million in owed wages, thanks to the Fair Work 
Ombudsman (FWO), which brought the total back-pay 
for underpaid workers to a staggering $1.5 billion over 
the past three years. This past year marked a record for 
the FWO, as it secured the highest penalties in its 15-
year history—$21.2 million in court-ordered fines from 
various employers.
The FWO’s latest Annual Report revealed that large 
corporate employers were responsible for more than 
half of these recoveries, paying over $333 million to 
nearly 110,000 employees. Since July 2020, this sector 
alone has repaid workers $877 million. Acting Fair Work 
Ombudsman Michael Campbell highlighted the FWO’s 
focus on holding big employers accountable, which has 
helped instill a culture of compliance across Australian 
workplaces.
“The Fair Work Ombudsman is driving change so 
Australia’s biggest employers, just like smaller ones, 
make compliance a priority,” Campbell said. “Getting 
owed wages back into workers’ pockets really makes a 
difference and ensures a fair go for employers doing the 
right thing.”
This year’s enforcement saw some major legal wins, 
including $10.3 million in penalties against the 
Commonwealth Bank and CommSec, and over $4 
million against Din Tai Fung restaurants. Notably, nearly 
$8 million of total penalties were linked to cases 
involving migrant workers, underscoring the FWO’s 
commitment to protecting vulnerable workers.
The FWO also tackled compliance issues through other 
measures, filing 64 new court actions, entering into 15 
Enforceable Undertakings with businesses (securing 
$30.2 million in back-pay), and issuing 2,574 
Compliance Notices to recover $16.9 million in unpaid 
wages. Meanwhile, 760 Infringement Notices for 
record-keeping or pay slip breaches saw fines totaling 
$986,616, up from the previous year.
Looking ahead to 2024-25, the FWO plans to focus on 
high-risk sectors like aged care, agriculture, 
construction, disability support, fast food, and 
universities, while continuing its support for small 
businesses and ‘at risk’ workers across the country.
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