The national workplace regulator recovered $453 million in unpaid wages and entitlements for 181,000 workers during the 2025-26 financial year, marking an increase of $95 million compared to the previous year. This figure represents the fourth highest annual recovery amount recorded by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth reported that over the past six financial years, cumulative back payments have reached nearly $2.5 billion. Booth emphasized the importance of cooperation among employers, workers, and their representatives to foster a culture of compliance amid ongoing legislative reforms and bargaining discussions.

“There is a spectrum of non-compliance, ranging from unintentional errors to deliberate violations, and our response is proportional to each case,” Booth said. She also highlighted the availability of free resources and advice from the agency to help all parties maintain sustained compliance with workplace laws.

The Ombudsman’s office nearly doubled its proactive investigations last year, conducting over 2,680 inquiries—an 86 percent increase from about 1,400 in the prior year. These proactive efforts recovered more than $45 million for approximately 13,800 workers.

Data indicated that nearly half of the recovered funds—around $217.3 million—originated from the large corporate sector, covering 110,000 workers. In total, the Fair Work Ombudsman completed 1,161 matters, which included 1,051 disputes, 73 proactive investigations, and 37 self-reports.

The building and construction sector saw recoveries exceeding $6.8 million for 932 workers. The regulator completed close to 3,000 matters in the sector and initiated 14 legal proceedings. Meanwhile, in the disability support services sector, more than 1,000 disputes were resolved, resulting in recoveries of nearly $24 million for 10,546 workers.

These results reflect the regulator’s ongoing efforts to address wage theft and enforce workplace law compliance across various industries.