Key highlights

  • A coordinated operation, Operation Brambles, inspected horticulture farms and labour hire businesses in the Nambucca Valley and Coffs Harbour regions of NSW over two days this week.
  • The operation involved the Fair Work Ombudsman, the ATO, the Australian Border Force and SafeWork NSW, and checked compliance with workplace, tax, migration and safety laws and sought to detect phoenixing.
  • Investigations are ongoing and no findings are yet available.

Commonwealth and state regulators have carried out a coordinated operation to inspect horticulture farms and labour hire businesses in the Nambucca Valley and Coffs Harbour regions of New South Wales. In a joint media release published on 22 October 2026, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), the Department of Home Affairs’ Australian Border Force (ABF) and SafeWork NSW said the operation was designed to check compliance with workplace, tax, migration and safety laws and to detect any phoenixing.

The joint activity, known as Operation Brambles, had the four agencies on the ground for two days this week. Officers inspected berry farms, interviewing growers, pickers and packers as well as supervisors and third-party intermediaries such as labour hire businesses. The agencies said investigations are ongoing and that no findings are yet available.

Why the targets were selected

The release said the targets were selected for inspection because of a known or alleged history within their labour supply chain of issues including non-payment for time worked, underpayments including piece rate issues, not paying the right penalty rates or casual loading, not paying overtime, not issuing payslips, failing to give breaks to employees, or not meeting tax and super obligations.

The FWO previously identified the combined Coffs Harbour and Grafton region as a troublespot in its 2025 Horticulture Compliance Report. According to the release, 61% of all employers assessed during those earlier investigations were not meeting their obligations under the Fair Work Act, and within that figure non-compliance was 74% among labour hire employers.

What is phoenix activity?

The release described phoenix activity as a deliberate attempt to avoid paying debts owed by a company by transferring that company’s assets and continuing the same or a similar business through a new entity, leaving employees, creditors and the community to bear the cost. In simple terms, it is closing one company to avoid debts and then reopening with the same or similar activity, leaving people such as employees and creditors unpaid.

ATO Assistant Commissioner Jarred Needham said the Phoenix Taskforce brings agencies together to share intelligence and coordinate action to detect and disrupt phoenix behaviour and hold those responsible to account. ‘These inspections in and around Coffs Harbour demonstrate that approach in action, with agencies sharing intelligence and undertaking coordinated compliance and enforcement activity,’ he said. ‘Honest businesses and the community expect us to work together to detect and disrupt phoenix behaviour and ensure a level playing field.’

Comments from the participating agencies

Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said the horticulture sector was a continued priority for the agency given its significant number of visa holders. ‘All businesses within labour supply chains need to be aware that taking action to protect visa holders and hold to account non-compliant businesses operating within the horticulture sector are priorities for the Fair Work Ombudsman,’ she said. She added that visa holders have the same rights as all other workers and that protections exist for their visa if they ask for help.

Australian Border Force Acting Commander of Field Operations and Sponsor Monitoring Chris Andino said regional areas continue to be a focus for employer compliance and migrant worker exploitation operations. ‘We know regional industries rely on seasonal workforces, and we want to ensure those workers are employed lawfully, treated fairly and protected from exploitation,’ he said, adding that businesses that employ or engage migrant workers must comply with Australia’s workplace and migration laws regardless of their location or industry.

SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said every worker has the right to work in a safe and healthy workplace, and described compliance blitzes such as Operation Brambles as an important part of SafeWork NSW’s strategy to proactively address high-risk activities. She said managing work health and safety in the horticulture sector is a complex regulatory issue that often requires a coordinated response across multiple state and federal agencies.

Related enforcement activity

The release noted that the FWO recently announced litigation against a NSW labour hire operator that supplied visa holder workers to pick blueberries on farms in the Coffs Harbour region, and a separate litigation against another labour hire operator in the region allegedly involved in underpaying visa holders. In a recent case, the FWO secured more than $180,000 in court penalties against a former Queensland labour hire provider and its manager following breaches in relation to fruit farm workers.

The agencies said the operation reflects an ongoing commitment by regulators to work together and to prevent harm caused to often vulnerable workers, and to businesses doing the right thing, from operators involved in breaches, including any potential phoenixing by labour hire businesses.