A spokesperson for Victorian IR Minister Natalie Hutchins has confirmed that AMWU Victorian branch secretary Steve Dargavel will become Victoria’s first labour hire licensing commissioner.

The announcement follows passage of the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018 passed in June. Under the scheme, providers of labour hire services will need to hold a licence and host businesses will be required to use only licensed providers. Victoria was the third state to pass labour hire licensing legislation, following Queensland and South Australia. However, the South Australian Government has since announced that it intends to repeal its Labour Hire Licensing Act 2017, following feedback raised by stakeholders.

Mr Dargavel was a key member of the militant ‘Workers First’ faction, which controlled the Victorian branch of the AMWU when led by former AMWU Victorian secretary Craig Johnston.

Coming off the back of the Victorian Government’s misguided policy announcements on

industrial manslaughter and wage theft, the appointment of Mr Dargavel does little to dispel concerns that the Victorian Government has become beholden to an increasingly militant and ideologically driven trade union movement.

While Master Builders wishes Mr Dargavel well in his new role, it notes that the Victorian Government cannot govern in the best interests of all Victorians unless it takes immediate steps to redress the anti-employer and anti-small business sentiment that has characterised its policy making.