Crack down on unpaid work experience results in penalties for employer

The widespread practice among employers of offering unpaid work experience has been a sleeper, but it's one to watch. In 2013, after a report found that unpaid work in Australia existed on such a scale that warranted legal attention, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) announced it would crack down on offenders in high risk industries ( see our update here). The FWO has now completed its first prosecution of an employer involving unpaid work experience since the report.

The employer, a media company, was approached by two journalism students seeking work experience. The students completed short periods of unpaid work experience and were subsequently kept on to work as "volunteers". The employer made "reimbursement-for-expenses" payments in respect of each shift worked. No wages were paid.