A QLD labour hire licence is not optional paperwork for the supplier alone. Under the Queensland licensing scheme, which commenced on 16 April 2018, providers that supply workers in Queensland must be licensed, and users of labour hire must only engage licensed providers. That duty sits with the host as well as the supplier. Before you agree rates or site access, open the public register and confirm the entity you are about to pay is listed as licensed.
Why Queensland runs a separate labour hire licence
Queensland runs a mandatory labour hire licence Queensland framework to protect labour hire workers and support responsible providers. The Office of Industrial Relations administers the scheme, and the Labour Hire Licensing Compliance Unit regulates compliance. Read the government overview before you set rules for procurement or site managers.
The scope is wider than many hosts assume. A provider based in another state or overseas still needs a Queensland licence if it supplies workers to do work in Queensland. A multi-state national agreement does not replace the QLD check. For a broader multi-state reading method, use the multi-state licence register guide as a companion, then return here for the Queensland-specific register path.
Licence holders are assessed against standards that include being a fit and proper person, being financially viable, and complying with relevant laws. Hosts do not run that assessment. They must only engage licensed providers. That is the gate this article shows you how to clear.
Who counts as a user of labour hire
A labour hire provider supplies workers to another business or person (the labour hire user) to do work, and the provider has an obligation to pay those workers. The definition is broad and covers many contingent and outsourced labour arrangements hosts treat as ordinary contractor supply.
If your arrangement is labour hire under the Act, you are a user. Users of labour hire services can only use a licensed labour hire provider. That is not a soft preference. Substantial penalties may apply for non-compliance; treat current guidance on the official page covering who needs a Queensland labour hire licence as the source of truth rather than informal supplier claims.
Some services sit outside labour hire on their own. Recruitment and permanent placement services, volunteering and workplace consultants are examples the scheme treats as not labour hire when that is all that is being supplied. If you are filling an ongoing role through permanent recruitment, you are on a different path. Still confirm in writing what service you are buying so a permanent search is not quietly converted into on-hire supply without a licence check.
How to search the public register step by step
Open the public register of labour hire licences - the Queensland labour hire licence register hosts rely on day to day. Search by business name, ABN, business address, industry or location. Use the legal entity name and ABN from the quote or contract, not only a trading name on a website banner.
Work the search in this order:
- Match the ABN first. Names change and group structures confuse search results; the ABN is the cleanest anchor.
- Confirm the licensed entity matches the contracting party. A related company in the same group is not automatically covered.
- Note the licence status and any visible conditions or industry detail the register returns for that record.
- Print or save a verification of the labour hire licence through the register on the day you engage or renew.
Do the check before the first purchase order, not after the first shift. If a salesperson says the application is in progress, that is not a current licence. Treat the booking as blocked until the register shows a licensed result for the correct entity.
When you need workers in Queensland, send the order through a normal commercial path such as the Queensland request staff form, and still run the register search yourself on the entity named in the proposal. Chandler Personnel provides labour hire and permanent recruitment for Queensland hosts; hosts should still complete their own register check on every supplier they engage.
Pending, suspended and cancelled lists
The main register is only one view. Queensland also publishes pending applications, suspended licences and cancelled licences on the Office of Industrial Relations licence system. A supplier that looked fine last quarter can move onto a suspended or cancelled list. A pending application is not a licence.
Simple applications can take several weeks; complex matters can take longer. That timeline is the regulator's process, not a host exemption. If the worker is already needed on site, you need a different licensed provider, not a promise that paperwork will land soon.
Build a habit of re-checking status at contract start, at renewal, and when ownership, trading name or invoicing entity changes. Pair the register result with fraud awareness: the guide on licence fraud red flags for hosts covers phoenix patterns and document tricks that sit beside a clean-looking quote. Register success does not replace commercial due diligence, and a polished quote does not replace the register.
Questions to ask after you find a licence record
A positive register hit is the start of supplier review, not the end. Ask the provider to confirm in writing:
- The exact legal name and ABN that hold the licence, matching the contracting entity
- Whether any conditions attach to the licence that affect your industry or locations
- How they will notify you if the licence is suspended, cancelled or not renewed
- Which entity employs the workers and pays wages, super and other entitlements
- Which modern award or enterprise agreement classifications will apply on your site
Point them back to official licensing criteria if they claim an exemption you cannot see on the register. Limited exceptions exist on the government pages; do not accept a verbal exemption without matching it to published criteria and your own legal advice where risk is material.
For Brisbane casual and short-notice supply patterns, keep the Brisbane casual staff agency checks guide handy so licence status sits next to induction ownership and rate clarity rather than as a one-off admin task.
Keep a verification file for audits and tenders
Procurement, head contractors and internal audit teams increasingly ask how you proved licence status. A verification file is simple and hard to argue with:
- Dated register print or saved PDF for the licensed entity and ABN
- Contract or purchase order naming the same entity
- Provider contact who confirmed licence status in writing
- Re-check dates at start, renewal and any novation
- Notes when you rejected a supplier because the register was pending, suspended or cancelled
Store the file with the commercial agreement, not only in a recruiter's inbox. When a tender asks for labour hire compliance evidence, you hand over the register verification rather than a marketing claim. If you later need more workers or a standing arrangement, use request staff with the same entity discipline so the file stays aligned to who actually supplies the crew.
Permanent placement still belongs on a separate track. Keep labour hire licence checks for true on-hire supply. Mixing the two without clear paperwork is how hosts lose the trail when an auditor asks which service was actually delivered.
Related Resources
- About the Queensland licensing scheme
- Public register of labour hire licences
- Who needs a Queensland labour hire licence
- Multi-state licence register guide
- Licence fraud red flags for hosts
- Queensland request staff
- Permanent recruitment
Common Questions About the QLD Labour Hire Licence
1. Do all labour hire providers in Queensland need a licence?
Yes. All labour hire providers operating in Queensland need to be licensed under the scheme. That includes providers based interstate or overseas who supply workers in Queensland. Confirm status on the public register rather than relying on a brochure or verbal assurance.
2. Can a host be fined for using an unlicensed provider?
Users of labour hire must only engage licensed providers. Hosts that ignore that duty face compliance action, and substantial penalties may apply. Check the current Office of Industrial Relations and labour hire licensing pages for enforcement detail rather than treating supplier indemnity clauses as a substitute for the register check.
3. How do I check a QLD labour hire licence?
Use the public register of labour hire licences. Search by business name, ABN, address, industry or location, match the contracting entity, then print or save a verification. Also review pending, suspended and cancelled lists when the main record is unclear or the supplier says an application is underway.
4. What if the provider is based interstate?
Location of the provider's head office does not remove the Queensland requirement. If they supply workers to do work in Queensland, they need a Queensland labour hire licence. Run the QLD register even when the same brand already holds licences elsewhere.
5. Is permanent recruitment covered by the QLD licence scheme?
No. Recruitment and permanent placement services are not labour hire under the scheme when that is the service supplied. Licence checks still matter the moment the engagement becomes on-hire supply of workers you do not employ directly. Keep the service description accurate in the agreement so finance and site teams know which rules apply.
Print the Register Result Before You Sign
The cheapest control in Queensland labour hire is a dated register check on the correct ABN before the purchase order leaves your desk. Build that step into supplier onboarding, renewals and any change of contracting entity. When the register is clear, move on to rates, site fit and WHS. When it is not, stop. The public record is there so hosts can refuse unlicensed supply with evidence, not opinion.
