Protecting secondment arrangements

In late 2025, the ACA Vic/Tas had an important advocacy win from the Labour Hire Licensing Amendment debate in the Victorian Parliament. In collaboration with Consult Australia, we advocated effectively to ensure changes to Victoria’s labour hire laws don’t inadvertently affect the established secondment practices used by architecture and engineering firms.

The Victorian Labour Hire Legislation Amendment (Licensing) Bill 2025 aims to strengthen the existing licensing scheme by addressing illegal conduct and criminal activity in the construction sector, based on findings from a government review.

In collaboration with Consult Australia, the ACA raised concerns with the government and crossbench that broadened definitions in the Bill could inadvertently impact legitimate arrangements – such as employee secondments and similar professional services arrangements – which were never the legislation’s intended target.

Our submission emphasised that secondments are a long-standing and legitimate way for firms to manage workflow fluctuations while preserving employee continuity, accrued entitlements, and service.

These concerns were raised on our behalf in Parliament, and the government listened. We now have it on parliamentary record that:

• Bona fide secondments are not intended to be captured by the labour hire scheme.
• Secondments and secondment-like arrangements remain legitimate and recognised practices.
• Secondees are specifically excluded by regulation.

While no changes were made to the legislation itself, these parliamentary assurances provide clarity and reflect the advocacy undertaken on behalf of members.

ACA Vic/Tas will continue to monitor developments and engage with the government to ensure regulation remains targeted and appropriate for professional architectural practice.