A Queensland-based labour hire provider and its manager are facing court after the Fair Work Ombudsman launched legal action, following an audit of pay rates at a strawberry farm in the Glass House Mountains.
Korserv Pty Ltd, which has supplied labour hire services to farm operators in Queensland, and its manager Janghwan Choi are facing proceedings in the Federal Circuit and Family Court.
The action follows a proactive auditing campaign conducted by the Fair Work Ombudsman in 2023, which examined pay rates being provided to workers on the Glass House Mountains strawberry farm.
After the farm manager told Fair Work Inspectors that labour hire services were being provided by Korserv, inspectors requested time and wage records from the company.
It is alleged Korserv and Mr Choi knowingly breached the Fair Work Act by supplying false records to inspectors in December 2023 and January 2024.
Those records allegedly included pay slips, falsified payment evidence from Korserv’s bank account and piecework agreements — required to be signed by employees under the Horticulture Award — with falsified signatures relating to 14 workers at the farm.
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The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges the false information claimed Korserv had made a range of payments to the workers, when in fact it had never made any such payments.
It is further alleged Mr Choi later admitted Korserv had subcontracted two other companies to pay the workers and that he had transferred money to those subcontractors for that purpose.
The Fair Work Ombudsman understands at least three of the 14 workers were migrant workers on visas.
Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said allegedly providing false records to inspectors was serious conduct that warranted strong enforcement action.
“We allege that the conduct in this case is a blatant flouting of workplace laws,” Ms Booth said.
“Employers need to be aware that taking action to try to rid the agriculture sector of this sort of behaviour is a priority for the Fair Work Ombudsman.”
Ms Booth said protecting visa holders was also a key focus for the regulator.
“We treat alleged breaches of workplace laws involving visa holder workers particularly seriously because we are aware they can be vulnerable, as they are often unaware of their rights, heavily reliant on their employers or reluctant to complain,” she said.
“Any workers with concerns about their pay or entitlements should contact us for free advice and assistance.”
The Fair Work Ombudsman is seeking penalties for multiple alleged breaches of workplace laws, with Korserv facing penalties of up to $93,900 per breach and Mr Choi facing penalties of up to $18,780 per breach.
A directions hearing has been listed in the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Brisbane on May 21, 2026.
The Fair Work Ombudsman filed 171 litigations against employers involving visa holder workers and secured $39 million in penalties in cases involving visa holders in the eight financial years to June 2025.
Migrant workers have the same rights and protections under the Fair Work Act as other employees in Australia, and protections exist for their visas if they report workplace breaches.
For free advice and assistance, employers and employees can visit fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. A free interpreter service is available on 13 14 50.
