A new provider has sent workers to your gate, or an existing one has changed its invoice details, and you want to know whether it is allowed to be there. The labour hire licence register is where Victorian hosts get that answer, but only if you know which filter to use, what each status tells you and what to write down afterwards.
This guide is for a host with one provider in front of it. It covers the register, the application register, the alert tool and a one-page record of each check, all inside Victoria.
What the register tells you and what it does not
The Authority's page where you can check a provider's licence status describes the register as a list of all licensed labour hire providers in Victoria. It gives hosts two things: a way to look a provider up by name, and filters that separate licensed providers from licences that are expired, suspended, cancelled or refused. It is the same tool whether you want to check a labour hire licence in Victoria for a new supplier or confirm one you have used for years.
It does not tell you who is standing in front of you. The Authority's host checklist says to confirm that the company offering services is the same as the one listed on the register, and to note who is named as running the business, including any nominated officers. It also does not tell you what a status means for your own arrangement, so take that question to the Authority or an adviser.
The Authority says substantial penalties may apply to a host that engages an unlicensed provider, and its Labour Hire Authority host guidance has the current amounts. The check is the same for a city office or a south-east plant that books labour hire in Springvale. Look every provider up, Chandler Personnel included, before you request staff from any of them.
Licensed, expired, suspended, cancelled and refused
The register filters give you five results. Read each one as a prompt for a decision, because the Authority's page lists the filters without spelling out the legal effect of each:
- Licensed. This is the only status that fits the Authority's rule that providers with an active licence are permitted to advertise or provide labour hire services. Confirm that the business name matches your invoice and contract.
- Expired. The licence appears in the expired filter, not the licensed one. Ask the provider and the Authority where things stand before any worker starts.
- Suspended. A labour hire licence suspended on the register is a stop-and-ask result. Follow My Providers also sends a notice when a suspended licence is re-issued, so you can watch for the change.
- Cancelled. The licence appears in the cancelled filter. Take the same stop-and-ask approach before any worker starts or continues.
- Refused. A refused entry is not a licence. Do not start an arrangement on the strength of a promise that one is coming.
If any result other than licensed appears for a provider you already use, ask the Authority or an adviser what it means for your arrangement before the next shift. A host can also face interruption to its business if the Authority finds an unlicensed provider has supplied workers to it.
Application register: a pending application is not a licence
The labour hire licence application register is separate from the licence register. It lists applications that the Authority is currently assessing. The Authority is clear that applicants must not provide labour hire services until they are granted a licence, so a provider that shows only on the application register does not yet hold one.
The application register is also where objections happen. The Authority says a person or organisation with an interest in protecting workers or the integrity of the labour hire industry, such as a host, may object to a licence being issued or renewed. You can object within 14 days of notice of the application being published on the register, using the "Raise an objection to this application" link next to the listing. The Authority says every applicant is assessed on compliance with relevant laws and on whether it is a fit and proper person to hold a licence.
Setting up alerts on the providers you already use
The register is a snapshot, and a licence can change after you have checked it. Follow My Providers lets you subscribe to a provider's licence status. The Authority says you can follow as many providers as you wish and manage your subscriptions as required. The tool notifies you by email and SMS when:
- Licences change. Licences are granted, suspended or cancelled.
- Conditions are added. Conditions are added to a licence.
- Suspensions end. Suspended licences are re-issued.
- Applications fail. Applications are refused or withdrawn.
Follow every provider you use, and any intermediary that invoices you. As a suggestion, set the notices to go to an address that more than one person reads, so a change is not missed when one person is away. Alerts do not replace a look at the register before a first shift, so keep both habits.
A one-page record of each check
The Authority's checklist tells hosts to keep a record of these checks for reference. The one-page layout below is our suggestion, built on that instruction. When you are weighing up providers more widely, the guide to choosing a recruitment agency covers the other questions, and a worker's own tickets are a separate check, covered in checking tickets and licences.
- Entity name. The name on the register, the name on the invoice and the name on the contract, side by side.
- Result and date. The status the register showed, the date and who checked.
- People named. Who is named as running the business, and the nominated officer's contact details taken from the register, not from the provider's email.
- Contact made. The date you contacted the nominated officer using those details, and what was confirmed.
- Alerts. Whether you follow this provider, and which address receives the notices.
- Reasons to look again. A change of name, bank details, contact person or tasks, or any alert.
If you run seasonal crews across several states, the seasonal crew licence check covers that routine. Separate guides cover the definition test, fraud signs and contract clauses, so this page stays on reading a result.
Related Resources
- Check a provider's licence status
- Labour Hire Authority host guidance
- Labour hire in Melbourne
- Seasonal crew licence check
- Choosing a recruitment agency
- Checking tickets and licences
Common Questions About the Labour Hire Licence Register
1. Is a provider with a pending application allowed to supply workers?
No. The Authority says applicants must not provide labour hire services until they are granted a licence. An entry on the application register means an application is being assessed. It does not show that the provider holds a licence. Look for the provider on the licence register instead, and do not start work on a promise that approval is coming.
2. How can I be told when a provider's licence status changes?
Use Follow My Providers. It sends email and SMS notices when licences are granted, suspended or cancelled, when conditions are added to a licence, when suspended licences are re-issued, and when applications are refused or withdrawn. You can follow as many providers as you like and manage the list as your suppliers change.
3. What if the name on the invoice is not the name on the register?
Treat it as a mismatch to resolve before you pay or book more shifts. The Authority tells hosts to confirm that the company offering services is the one listed on the register. If the person approaching you is not named there, confirm their connection to the licensed provider and their authority to act, and ask to see an identity document.
4. Can a host object to a licence application?
Yes. The Authority says a person or organisation with an interest in worker protection or the integrity of the industry, such as a host, may object to a licence being issued or renewed. The objection must be made within 14 days of notice of the application being published on the application register, using the objection link beside the application.
5. Should I rely on a licence certificate the provider emails me?
No. The question "is my labour hire provider licensed" is best answered by the register itself. The Authority tells hosts not to rely on paper documentation because it could be illegitimate or out of date. Provider information that does not match the register is also one of the Authority's listed signs of licence fraud. Look the provider up yourself and keep the result.
Check the Register, Then Keep the Record
The register answers one question well: does this business hold an active licence today. Look the provider up before any worker starts, match the name on the register to the name on the invoice, and follow the provider so a change reaches you without a search. Then file a one-page record, so the next person in your plant knows what was checked and when.
