Jellis Craig Kingston Pty Ltd (Jellis Craig) has been fined $7,000 for failing to pay a former employee their long service leave entitlement.
Workforce Inspectorate Victoria (WIV) charged the real estate agency after it withheld more than $16,000 in long service leave from a former employee for more than 17 months.
The charges alleged Jellis Craig had breached the Long Service Act 2018 by failing to pay the employee their full long service leave entitlement upon cessation of their employment.
Factoring Jellis Craig has since paid the former employee the full amount owed and plead guilty to the charges, the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria issued the business a $7,000 fine and ordered it to cover the former employee’s legal expenses.
WIV helped 320 Victorians recover almost $1.7 million in long service leave entitlements during 2025-26.
Quotes attributable to Lily Dekic, Acting Commissioner of Workforce Inspectorate Victoria
“The employee in this case had given almost nine years of loyal service to this business and deserved to be paid their entitlements.”
“Long service leave entitlements don’t reset if a business changes owners, the new owner takes on the responsibility of paying employees what they are owed.”
“Blaming a payroll issue doesn’t cut it – the responsibility rests with the employer to make sure they are complying with the Long Service Leave Act.
Background on Victoria’s Long Service Leave Act
The Long Service Leave Act 2018 is a Victorian law that provides long service leave for employees who have worked continuously with one employer for at least 7 years. It applies to work that is:
- full time
- part time
- casual
- seasonal
- fixed term.
After at least 7 years’ continuous employment with one employer, an employee is entitled to take their long service leave and be paid any unused long service leave entitlement when their employment ends.
Most Victorian employees will be covered by and entitled to long service leave in accordance with the Act, unless they have a long service leave entitlement from another source, such as under other legislation, a registered agreement, award or another law.
For more information on long service leave visit Workforce Inspectorate Victoria’s website at wiv.vic.gov.au or call 1800 287 287.
Contact details:
email [email protected] or - 0486 163 446
