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A crucial meeting of Australia's Workplace Relations and Work Health and Safety (WHS) Ministers on 31 October 2025 has delivered mixed results for the surveying industry, with a major breakthrough on portable long service leave (PLSL) but a setback for national labour hire harmonisation.
For surveyors and firms that operate across state borders, manage a mobile workforce, and undertake projects on Commonwealth land, the outcomes of this meeting may have direct operational and compliance impacts.
Here are the key takeaways relevant to Surveyors Australia members.
Partial Progress on Labour Hire Harmonisation
For surveyors who engage with labour hire to scale for large projects or work across multiple jurisdictions, the push for national harmonisation aimed to create a "level playing field" and reduce "regulatory complexity".
However, this national approach has hit a significant roadblock.
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Setback: Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania have indicated they do not support a harmonised approach to labour hire.
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Problem: The Commonwealth noted that without the participation of all jurisdictions, the originally endorsed model "will not achieve its intended outcomes".
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The Way Forward: Acknowledging the need for consistency, the Commonwealth, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory have agreed to find a different path. Senior officials from these participating jurisdictions will now look at options for a "nationally consistent approach," potentially through model laws, and report back at the next meeting.
Relevance for Surveyors: This outcome means that surveying firms and surveyors operating in or across QLD, NT, or TAS will continue to face a fragmented and complex regulatory environment for labour hire. Firms operating between the participating states (VIC, NSW, WA, SA, ACT) may see progress towards easier compliance in the future.
Major Breakthrough on Portable Long Service Leave (PLSL) for Commonwealth Places
In a significant win for the industry, Ministers have agreed to tackle a long-standing and costly ambiguity for surveying firms and surveyors: the application of portable long service leave on Commonwealth land.
This has been a critical issue for surveyors whose teams regularly work on sites like Defence bases, airports, national parks, and other federal properties.
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Action: Ministers agreed to "urgently establish an interjurisdictional working group" to address the problem.
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The Goal: The group, chaired by the Commonwealth, will develop a proposal to amend the Mirror Taxes framework.
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The Outcome: This change is intended to "support the application of state portable long service leave schemes to work performed on Commonwealth places".
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Interim Measures: Ministers also agreed that individual states would urgently consider "appropriate interim arrangements" while this framework solution is developed.
Relevance for Surveyors: This is a clear and positive development. It moves to close a loophole that created uncertainty for employers and employees, ensuring that work performed by surveyors on Commonwealth sites will be properly recognised under state-based PLSL schemes.
Other Issues on the Watchlist
Ministers also noted several other items of importance to the surveying and construction sectors:
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Work Health and Safety (WHS): Key WHS priorities were discussed, including the Best Practice Review of the model WHS laws. Any changes to the model laws will have direct implications for how surveying firms manage field and office safety.
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Coherence of Laws: Ministers also noted the improved coherence of workplace laws.
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