Fair Work Ombudsman
Citation: FWO-2025-07-28-mezzaco-trading-pty-ltd-and-karl-haidenbauer-cn-litigation-media-release
At a glance
- Penalty
- $46,950
- Employees affected
- 2
What happened
The Fair Work Ombudsman has commenced legal action against Karl Haidenbauer and Mezzaco Trading Pty Ltd, former operators of the 'Six Ain’t Seven' café in North Parramatta. A Fair Work Inspector issued a Compliance Notice in September 2023 after suspecting breaches of the Restaurant Industry Award regarding minimum wages paid to two casual employees between August 2022 and April 2023. One worker was on a working holiday visa from Vietnam, and the other was an 18-year-old international student from Nepal. The company is also accused of failing to provide a pay slip to one employee. The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges they did not comply with the Compliance Notice and breached the Fair Work Act.
What was decided
The Fair Work Ombudsman is seeking penalties against Karl Haidenbauer and Mezzaco Trading Pty Ltd for failing to comply with a Compliance Notice and for failing to provide a pay slip. Mezzaco Trading Pty Ltd faces a potential penalty of up to $46,950 for the Compliance Notice breach and $82,500 for the pay slip breach. Karl Haidenbauer faces a potential penalty of up to $9,390 for the Compliance Notice breach and $16,500 for the pay slip breach. The court may also order them to rectify any amounts owed and pay interest and superannuation. A directions hearing is scheduled for September 12, 2025.
What it means for employers
Employers must comply with Compliance Notices issued by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Failure to do so can result in significant penalties. Employers must also ensure they provide employees with pay slips within one business day of payment. Employers should be particularly aware of the workplace rights of migrant workers and young employees.
What it means for employees
Migrant workers and young employees have the same workplace rights as all other employees. Employees should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman if they have concerns about their pay or entitlements. Pay slips provide important information about pay and entitlements, and employees should receive them promptly.
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-2025/20250728-mezzaco-trading-pty-ltd-and-karl-haidenbauer-cn-litigation-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 →