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The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) has come to bat for sheep shearers, calling on the federal government to step in with a new national licensing system that would protect shearers from exploitative contractors.
Sheep shearing is ingrained in Australian folklore as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense industry often composed of hardworking individuals operating in less-than-desirable environments.
These environments, being shearing sheds, time after time, pose a safety risk to the workers that operate in them due to habitual negligence from both farmers and contractors that has been accepted as the status quo. These sheds can – for a lack of better words – be falling apart and both overarching parties won’t bat an eye.
Along with the perilous working environments, shearers are often victims of dodgy wages from contractors who employ their services.
The AWU – which was formed by unionised shearers in Ballarat in 1886 – has decided to call upon the federal government to step up and impose a licensing regime on all labour-hire companies operating in regional Australia.
This comes after a new resolution passed at the AWU’s national conference held in Perth last Wednesday (13 November), calling on the government to manufacture both new national licensing and an enforcement body to crack down on the widespread reports of labour exploitation in shearing sheds across Australia.
Lead organiser for the AWU, Ross Kenna, said: “The AWU was born fighting for shearers, and we’re not backing down now.”
“It’s disgraceful that some of the same exploitative attitudes that we saw prevailing in the 1890s have re-emerged in 2024. Today, we are once again seeing young shearers working for poverty wages in unsafe conditions. A national licensing system for shearing contractors is a must if we want to protect our workers’ rights and safety.”
For a distinguished industry in terms of international recognition, sheep shearing is seemingly being left behind when it comes to basic employment protections, setting up workers for exploitative practices from dodgy contractors. For that reason, Kenna laments the importance of the licensing system and enforcement body.
“There’s no reason that the regulation of this industry should lag every other industry in the country. Shearers deserve safe jobs, fair pay, and protection from dodgy contractors, just like everyone else.
“Some of the conditions in shearing sheds today would make our founding members turn in their graves. That’s why I’m so pleased that the AWU has officially committed to fighting for a licensing body that can put an end to the abuse,” said Kenna.
Kace O'Neill
Kace O'Neill is a Graduate Journalist for HR Leader. Kace studied Media Communications and Maori studies at the University of Otago, he has a passion for sports and storytelling.
