Fair Work Ombudsman
Citation: FWO-2023-01-25-sofworks-penalty-media-release
At a glance
- Respondent
- Sofworks Pty Ltd
- Penalty
- $10,000
- Employees affected
- 1
What happened
Sofworks Pty Ltd, trading as Geelong Cable Locations, failed to comply with a Fair Work Ombudsman Compliance Notice. The company, based in Geelong, Victoria, was investigated after a worker sought assistance. The worker was employed as an underground utility detection technician from 2017 to 2021. The Compliance Notice related to unpaid accrued annual leave entitlements. Sofworks only back-paid the worker after the Fair Work Ombudsman commenced legal action.
What was decided
The Federal Circuit and Family Court imposed a $10,000 penalty against Sofworks Pty Ltd. The court found that failing to comply with Compliance Notices undermines the statutory notice regime. Judge Catherine Symons stated a penalty was needed to deter similar breaches. The Fair Work Ombudsman emphasised the importance of acting on Compliance Notices and encouraged employees with pay concerns to seek assistance.
What it means for employers
Employers must comply with Compliance Notices issued by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Failure to do so can result in court-imposed penalties and further legal action. Businesses should ensure they understand their obligations regarding employee entitlements and act promptly when notified of potential breaches.
What it means for employees
Employees who believe they have not received their correct pay or entitlements should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free advice and assistance. The Fair Work Infoline is available for support and information.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/2023-media-releases/january-2023/20230125-sofworks-penalty-media-releaseWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The full dataset, with structured fields for awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts, is available through the Business API. FairWork Mate AI answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. API + AI access is a paid product. Contact us for pricing or a 50% off first month.
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 by AI 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 →