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NSW Labor has pledged to introduce a bill for an economy-wide labour-hire licensing scheme within its first 100 days if re-elected. The proposal is not yet law, and the promised timetable depends on Labor forming government again. It follows months of public pressure from a parliamentary committee and unions, as well as concerns raised by an investigation into the Western Sydney Airport Metro project.
What NSW Labor has proposed
On 2 October 2026, the Minns Labor Government announced that, if re-elected, it would release a bill within its first 100 days to establish labour-hire licensing across all NSW industries and sectors. Under the proposed model, labour-hire providers would need a licence, and host employers would have to use registered providers. The government says it will consult workers, unions and industry and review schemes in other jurisdictions while developing the model. NSW Government announcement, 2 October 2026
This is an election commitment, not an operating licensing system. The announcement does not set a commencement date: any start would depend on the bill being introduced, passed and implemented.
What the government says the scheme would include
- Licensing requirements for labour-hire providers across all industries and sectors in NSW.
- An obligation for host employers to use registered providers.
- Alignment with national labour-hire licensing principles.
- Business education and penalties for non-compliance.
- Consultation and consideration of interstate models before the scheme is finalised.
The announcement does not specify the licensing tests, regulator, penalty levels, review or appeal arrangements, or detailed obligations for host employers. Those design questions remain for the proposed bill and scheme development.
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Why the pledge was made
The government linked the announcement to an independent probity investigation into the Western Sydney Airport Metro project, which led to the termination of a major contractor. In its account of the Kimber Report, the government said several labour-supply companies were incorporated within days of one another at the same residential address, shared a director and secretary, and used encrypted messaging apps to send invoices and supporting material. NSW Government announcement, 2 October 2026
The government also said the investigation identified suspected worker underpayment, insurance fraud, tax fraud and more than $10 million in unaccounted invoices. These are allegations or reported investigation findings attributed to the Kimber Report, not convictions or court-established criminal liability. The release also referred to concerns raised by farmers, unions, businesses and the NSW Modern Slavery Committee about labour hire in horticulture and other sectors.
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What public pressure preceded the announcement
The accessible public record shows committee and union pressure before the October pledge. It does not establish which Labor insiders applied pressure or how internal party discussions affected the decision.
- 6 August 2026 — committee recommendations: The NSW Government welcomed a Modern Slavery Committee report calling for a labour-hire licensing scheme in response to risks faced by temporary migrant workers in rural and regional NSW. The government said it preferred nationally harmonised principles but was considering a NSW scheme and reviewing other jurisdictions. NSW Government response, 6 August 2026
- 6 August 2026 — union advocacy: Unions NSW called for urgent licensing and cited the committee’s recommendations, including investigation of alleged exploitation in Coffs Harbour and the Nambucca Valley. This is the union’s advocacy and account of the issue. Unions NSW, 6 August 2026
- 2 October 2026 — election pledge: The government announced its conditional promise to introduce a bill within the first 100 days after re-election. NSW Government announcement, 2 October 2026
Other measures the government says it is undertaking
The proposed licensing scheme is one part of a broader set of actions described by the government. These are complementary measures; they do not mean the licensing system is already in force.
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- Data sharing between SafeWork NSW and federal bodies, including the ATO, Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police.
- Work on an information-sharing and referral arrangement with the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner.
- A Labour Hire Code of Practice and a Supply Chain Compliance Program.
- A Migrant Workers’ Centre.
What workers and employers should take from the announcement
- For labour-hire workers: the pledge does not itself create new licensing protections or change current legal rights. The announcement provides no worker-level estimate of how many people are affected.
- For providers and host employers: the stated intention is to cover providers across the economy and require hosts to use registered providers, but detailed compliance requirements are not yet specified.
- For the timetable: the bill is promised within 100 days only if NSW Labor is re-elected. Passage, commencement and practical operation would require further steps.
Although the headline refers to internal pressure, the publicly accessible material supports a narrower account: committee recommendations and union advocacy were public before the pledge, while the precise internal political pressure described in the headline is not independently established. The Sydney Morning Herald result dated 2 October 2026 provides only a limited indexed synopsis; the full article was not accessible.
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