Regional publisher slammed by judge in Fair Work ruling
Touchpoint Media, a company that operated news websites covering regional Queensland, and its director Laurence Ward have been penalised a total of $264,924 for underpaying staff following a prosecution by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
In a scathing decision, Judge Young of the Federal Circuit Court found Touchpoint had failed to pay minimum wages, not paid on time, failed to meet superannuation obligations, ignored annual leave entitlements and had not kept proper records.
The case was launched in August last year with the Fair Work Ombudsman claiming Touchpoint underpaid 23 young journalists to the tune of $305,780 between January 2015 and June 2016.
Mumbrella has previously reported how publishers have largely escaped prosecution for underpayment of young staff and interns as media workers have been reluctant to come forward with complaints against employers.
