Fair Work Ombudsman
Citation: FWO-2022-10-24-tipene-penalty-media-release
At a glance
- Respondent
- The brothers metal roofing
- Penalty
- $12,000
- Employees affected
- 2
- Awards cited
- MA000123
What happened
The Fair Work Ombudsman investigated a roofing business, 'The brothers metal roofing', operated by the Respondent in Sydney. Two workers, a roof plumber and a casual labourer, were employed between March and August 2021. A Fair Work Inspector believed the workers were underpaid minimum wages, allowances, annual leave, casual minimum hourly rates, and penalty rates under the Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award 2020 and the National Employment Standards. A Compliance Notice was issued in October 2021, which the Respondent failed to follow.
What was decided
The Federal Circuit and Family Court imposed a penalty of $6,300 against the Respondent. He was also ordered to back-pay the workers a total of $6,666, plus superannuation and interest. The Fair Work Ombudsman emphasised that failing to comply with Compliance Notices can result in court-imposed penalties and back-payment obligations. The investigation began after requests for assistance from the affected workers.
What it means for employers
Employers must comply with Compliance Notices issued by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Failure to do so can lead to significant penalties and back-payment obligations. Businesses should ensure they understand their obligations under relevant awards and the National Employment Standards.
What it means for employees
Employees who believe they have been underpaid or are not receiving their correct entitlements should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free advice and assistance. Interpreter services are available.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/2022-media-releases/october-2022/20221024-tipene-penalty-media-releaseWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. The full FWC and Federal Court library behind every advisor answer is on Pro.
FairWork Mate AI
This is one decision. Pro reads all of them.
Free case pages cite the top 250 decisions. Pro opens the full Fair Work Commission and Federal Court library, cross-references your own situation against it, and cites the decision behind every answer — plus document upload, so it can read your letter or contract line by line. 150 questions a month, cancel anytime.
Just need today sorted? A Day Pass is 25 questions over 24 hours, no account. Get a Day Pass — $4.99
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections