Fair Work Ombudsman
Citation: FWO-2025-07-17-kassiou-construction-penalty-media-release
At a glance
- Respondent
- Kassiou Constructions Pty Ltd
- Penalty
- $44,000
- Employees affected
- 1
What happened
Kassiou Constructions Pty Ltd, a residential building and construction company based in Winnellie, Darwin, and its director, Ilias Kassiou, have been penalised by the Federal Circuit and Family Court. This followed a Fair Work Inspector issuing a Compliance Notice in September 2023. The notice related to the company's failure to calculate and back-pay accrued but untaken annual leave entitlements to a full-time skilled labourer employed between 2012 and 2021. The company is now in liquidation.
What was decided
The Court imposed a $37,560 penalty on Kassiou Constructions Pty Ltd and a $6,573 penalty on Ilias Kassiou for failing to comply with the Compliance Notice. The company was also previously ordered to calculate and back-pay the worker’s entitlements, plus interest. Judge Anastasis Liveris stated the worker was left without payments for more than four years after his employment ended. The penalties are intended to deter future non-compliance.
What it means for employers
Employers must act on Compliance Notices issued by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Failure to do so can result in substantial penalties in addition to being ordered to back-pay workers. The Fair Work Ombudsman prioritises compliance in the building and construction industry.
What it means for employees
Employees with concerns about their pay or entitlements should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free advice and assistance. Resources and information are available on the Fair Work Ombudsman's website and via the Infoline.
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/2025-media-releases/july-2025/20250717-kassiou-construction-penalty-media-releaseSend your details to Liquid Employment Lawyers
Liquid Employment Lawyers is a paid legal service and our referral partner, not free Fair Work advice. Tell them what has happened and a member of their team will call you back. For free general guidance, use our tools or call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.
Prefer to read first? About Liquid Employment Lawyers · Not sure if you need a lawyer? Read the legal help guides
Want 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 this week sorted? A 7-Day Pass is 50 questions over 7 days, no account. Get a 7-Day Pass — $14.99
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