National road transport lobby group, NatRoad has issued a statement welcomin g the efforts of the Australian Taxation Office and the Fair Work Ombudsman to address sham contracting in Australia
NatRoad CEO Warren Clark said that the maths are simple.
“Legitimate truck operators could never compete against businesses operating with 20 to 30 per cent lower cost base through illegal schemes,” said Clark.
“That has already resulted in many legitimate hard-working people losing their livelihood, taking skill and experience out of the industry at a time when we desperately need them,” he added.
“Now that the Australian Taxation office and the Fair Work Ombudsman are stepping up, we might finally have a fairer fight on our hands,” Clark said.
“We must act before it is too late. We are calling on those agencies to make good on their promise to act decisively and quickly against operators knowingly flaunting the rules.
“We want to see the ATO and the ombudsman come down hard on dodgy providers – especially those caught maliciously doing the wrong thing,” he said.
“The message to those flaunting the rules has to be loud and clear: The days of people turning a blind eye to unsafe or unethical practice are over,” Clark concluded.
